There was surprising news out of the Duke camp today when it was announced that the first JUCO transfer in Coach K’s tenure, Carrick Felix, would not be attending Duke in the fall. Word on the street is that Felix was turned away by admissions after his final grades arrived and fell short of the necessary requirements. If this is true ( and there is no reason to think otherwise. Academic privacy rules may prevent us from knowing absolutely, but Ockham’s Razor tells us that the simplest explanation is most often the correct one), it fairly well illustrates why Duke doesn’t take JUCO’s in the first place and leaves me to conclude that this will work out better over the long haul for both parties.
As to the impact on the court, I don’t see this as a tremendous setback. I was not of the opinion that Felix was going to see much PT at all this year, imagining him as primarily a stopgap measure on defense to help out against athletic 3’s and perhaps spell Kyle from time to time. The fact is, though, that Josh Hairston is very capable of playing the 3 himself, and , though bigger than Felix, can defend the 3 if the need arises. This may just give a slight nudge to Josh and Ryan Kelly’s playing time.
Going forward, it gives us some flexibility, with a scholly to use for next year or the year after. We already have an athletic wing in the truck for next year in the person of Michael Gbinije, and I have little doubt we will be able to put Felix’s scholarship to good use on a player of equal talent and less questionable academic standing in the very near future.
Good luck and farewell Carrick, wherever you fare!!!
