Ontario’s R.J. Barrett Prepares to Make Duke Debut on Home Soil

R.J. Barrett has become immune to the spotlight, unbothered by the droves of media who are eager to document his every move.

Few Canadian athletes—basketball or otherwise—have ever garnered such interest.

Therefore, it’s rather fitting that Barrett’s collegiate debut will come in his hometown, as the Duke Blue Devils begin their 2018 Canada Tour with a tilt against the Ryerson Rams on Wednesday, August 15 in Mississauga.

“Canadian high school basketball and youth basketball has produced a lot of college players and obviously it’s producing pros now,” commented Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski following his team’s practice on Tuesday, August 14. “We’re fortunate we got R.J. … The fact is, Canadian basketball keeps getting better and better.”

Barrett headlines a historic Duke recruiting class that features the first, second and third-ranked prospects from the Class of 2018.

Barrett was rated No. 1, followed by teammates Zion Williamson, ranked second, and Cameron Reddish, situated at No. 3.

“We don’t look at rankings,” said Krzyzewski, who is entering his 39th season at the helm of Duke’s legendary hoops program. “The fact is they’re all three different players and you can see they get along real well.”

More than 200 hundred fans—most of them adorning Duke paraphernalia—turned out for Duke’s practice on Tuesday, eager to get an up-close look at the Blue Devils’ star-studded freshman contingent.

As one might expect, Barrett and Williamson—revered for their gravity-defying athleticism—did not disappoint, entertaining the crowd with a dunking exhibition that culminated with Williamson taking off from the free throw line.

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Barrett finds great comfort in sharing his collegiate experience with his fellow freshman. Part of the fun, he says, is in their ability to relate with one another.

“I’ve always played with high-level competition all my life, but to be on a team with Zion, Cam, Tre (Jones), guys of that calibre, we all kind of get it,” said Barrett. “We’re all going through the same thing so it’s great to have guys like that to help out.”

Barrett, 18, enjoyed a decorated high school career at Montverde Academy (Fla.), where he won a National Championship as a senior and also captured the prestigious Naismith Player of the Year award.

Additionally, Barrett possesses extensive international experience, having represented Canada on several occasions, including a recent stint with the Canadian Senior Men’s National Team.

The six-foot-seven forward also led Canada to its first-ever gold medal at last summer’s FIBA U19 Men’s Basketball World Cup in Egypt.

Fittingly, his coach during that tournament was long-time Ryerson bench boss Roy Rana.

“I’ve learned a lot through the national team and every single stage (of the program),” stated Barrett. “I can tell you that the national team, for me, was a big plus.”

Of playing against Rana’s Rams, Barrett’s response was light-hearted: “I know how he coaches, so I guess I have an advantage against him too,” he joked.

Barrett has already garnered positive reviews from his peers and coaches, but the endorsements don’t stop there. ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas, who played at Duke from 1982–86, is intrigued by Barrett’s versatility and IQ.

“He’s a really talented young player. (He) sees the game at a higher level than most guys his age. He’s a very good passer, versatile, long, and he’s a great kid,” declared Bilas, who will be a part of ESPN’s coverage of the Duke Tour. “He’s got a great future. His now is pretty darn good but his future is very bright.”

Barrett has been on the radar of NBA scouts since arriving at Monteverde as a sophomore in 2015.

Coach K speaks glowingly of his star freshman and is confident that Barrett will excel both at the college level and beyond.

“He’s an NBA player if he would’ve went right out of high school, but he’ll be a better NBA player after spending a year in our program,” asserted Krzyzewski. “That’s our goal. He’s always played up and he’s done a great job representing Canada, and he’s going to do a great job representing Duke and our basketball program.”

Barrett has already been anointed as the consensus No. 1 pick for next June’s NBA Draft, a feat that has been achieved by only two Canadians: Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett.

As for what to expect on Wednesday night, the Mississauga native is simply looking forward to get acclimated with his new team.

“We haven’t been together for long, so (we’re) just (going) to come in and play,” said Barrett.

“We respect everybody. … We haven’t played, so our guys will be nervous and excited,” added Krzyzewski, who has amassed an NCAA-record 1,100 wins throughout his illustrious coaching career. “We’re not in regular-season conditioning and we don’t have a whole system in. We’re just going to try to see how hard we can play with lights on and a crowd. We’re going to have a great crowd. They’ve done an unbelievable job of branding the events and I think we’re supposed to have capacity crowds for these two games (in Mississauga), so it’ll be a neat environment.”

Tip-Ins

Duke will be without the services of point guard Tre Jones (hip) and guard Cameron Reddish (groin) for its three-game Canada Tour, as the freshmen remain sidelined due to injury.

The Blue Devils’ 2018 Canada Tour is the program’s fifth foreign excursion under legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Duke’s five National Championships rank fourth all-time behind North Carolina (6), Kentucky (8) and UCLA (11).