Josh Hairston named Duke basketball's third captain

Senior forward Josh Hairston has been added as a team captain for Duke this year, the team announced in a press release Wednesday afternoon.

Hairston will join classmate Tyler Thornton and redshirt sophomore Rodney Hood as the Blue Devils' captains for the 2013-14 season.

Generic Script

“Josh is certainly deserving of being one of our captains this year,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a press release. “He has been an excellent player for us and a leader during his first three years. He is someone that has supported his teammates about as well as anybody and our players look to him for that support. With Josh joining Tyler [Thornton] and Rodney [Hood], we have three youngsters that form a great leadership team.”

Hairston averaged 2.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in 12.7 minutes per game last season. He appeared in 35 of Duke's 36 games and made six starts in place of injured forward Ryan Kelly.

The senior is expected to the first forward off the bench for the Blue Devils this season when the team kicks off its new season Friday against Davidson at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

“It is a blessing and a dream come true,” Hairston said. “I’ve dreamed of being a captain on a Duke basketball team. I am very grateful to Coach K and our coaching staff, as well as my teammates for this amazing opportunity.”

The Fredricksburg, Va., native is known as one of the Blue Devils' most fiery competitors, taking a team-leading 20 charges last season.