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Matthew Hurt Update

Grateful for Duke and getting ready for the NBA Draft

Duke v Virginia
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 29: Matthew Hurt #21 of the Duke Blue Devils shoots over Mamadi Diakite #25 of the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half during a game at John Paul Jones Arena on February 29, 2020 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images

After Matthew Hurt’s freshman year, which saw him struggle a good bit, he could have done the easy thing and transferred or, worse, tried for the NBA.

He did something much smarter.

He recognized what he had to work on and, well, he worked on it. Here’s what his brother Michael, who just finished his career at Minnesota, said:

“Matthew was very motivated and very driven about wanting to get better. He had some good moments as a freshman. But we all thought he could make big advances; our whole family thought it, that he could do more. So we established what his end goals should be, that he should be one of the best players on his team and that he needed to be a guy who when the shot clock was running down, that he could create his shot.

“Now, he can get his shot off against anyone. I sympathized with those guys this season who were looking at their coaches, asking, ‘What do I have to do to stop (Matthew)?’ I had to play defense against him this summer, so I know what that’s like.”

He certainly did improve a lot and with an outstanding three point shot, and even more strength (he bulked up but still can add more muscle), he’s going to be a load. We’d love to see him get on a team like the Pelicans which could use a solid three point shooter, but whoever gets him will get a kid who doesn’t give up easily.