The Blue Zone will be running a summer series bringing you the latest on some of Duke basketball’s former stars. This week, we take a look at David McClure.
David McClure's journey at Duke began in the fall of 2004, when he joined a two-man recruiting class with guard DeMarcus Nelson after Shaun Livingston decided against attending Duke and instead made the leap directly from high school to the NBA.
A 6-foot-6 forward, McClure didn't play a huge role in his freshman season, though he did make three starts. The Ridgefield, Conn. product played just 7.4 minuts per game while scoring 1.7 points per game. Things got worse for McClure after the 2004-05 season, when an offseason injury to his left knee required surgery and ended his season before it even began.
When McClure returned to the court for the start of the 2006-07, he enjoyed his best season at Duke. McClure started 11 of the 33 games he played in and scored 4.2 points and grabbed 4.9 rebounds per game while playing 21.7 minutes per game. McClure was second on the team in steals, offensive rebounds and blocked shots. He was also efficient offensively, shooting 49.1 percent from the field. His productive season came to a close early however, as the Blue Devils fell to Virginia Commonwealth in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
McClure's role diminished in his junior season, as freshmen forwards Kyle Singler and Taylor King ate into his minutes. McClure played fewer than half the minutes per game as he did in his sophomore season, scoring just a point per game. He was behind the eight-ball from the start of the season after needing knee surgery once again in the offseason.
As a senior McClure's role increased again, but not to the level it was as a sophomore. McClure averaged nearly 16 minutes per game, shot better than 50.0 percent from the field and averaged a collegiate high 1.1 assists per game.
After his five years at Duke, McClure entered the NBA Development League draft. In the fifth round, with the 60th overall pick, the Austin Toros—coached by former Blue Devil player and coach Quin Snyder—snapped up the forward. McClure was immediately a part of the Toros' rotation, playing 13.4 minutes per game and scoring 2.4 points per game.
McClure played just one year in the NBDL before heading to Europe. He has spent the last three years playing in Lithuania for various clubs. His best season came in 2011-12, when his team, Kedainiai Triobet advanced to the Final Four on the back of McClure's 29 points and 12 rebounds. McClure most recently played for Neptunas, where he averaged 20.2 minutes, 4.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
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