GOODNEWS: Duke basketball’s Tyrese Proctor to start tonight against Wake Forest
Duke basketball veteran guard Tyrese Proctor will be back in the Blue Devils’ starting lineup tonight against Wake Forest (20-9, 12-6 ACC) after missing the program’s last game versus Florida State with a bone bruise.
He was seen warming up for tonight’s game and is now officially set to start against the Demon Deacons.
Proctor’s recovery was much quicker than anticipated at first, as Proctor fell awkwardly in the first half in Duke’s 97-60 victory at Miami on February 26th. After Miami guard Divine Ugochukwu got out in transition, Proctor went up at the rim to contest a shot and landed in some pain on his knee. Proctor grabbed his knee in pain and did not return for the rest of the game. He was seen exiting on crutches after the Blue Devils’ victory.
Originally, there was fear that Proctor could be out for potentially the rest of the season as the injury came with little contact, which can be scary in a lot of cases.
It was later reported that Proctor was dealing with a bone bruise with no structural damage, and would be back for the late regular season and postseason.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on College GameDay this past Saturday in Gainesville, Florida that Proctor would be back sooner rather than later and confirmed that there was no structural damage done to the veteran Blue Devil guard.
Now, that timetable is pushed up and Proctor will start for Duke (26-3, 17-1 ACC) tonight against the Demon Deacons. Tip-off is set for 7:00pm ET on ESPN at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
It’s a huge addition to the Blue Devils’ lineup to get Proctor back, who was in the midst of the best offensive season of his career before the knee injury. Proctor is averaging 11.8 points this season on 43.7% shooting from the field and 40.8% shooting from three-point range, all career-highs for the junior.
Freshman Isaiah Evans took the place of Proctor in the starting lineup in Duke’s 100-65 win over Florida State last Saturday, and tallied a team-high 19 points on 6-of-17 shooting from the floor and 4-of-13 shooting from three-point range.
