Matthew Hurt
Year: Freshman
Height: 6-foot-9
Position: Forward
This year’s stat line: 9.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 20.5 MPG
The Blue Zone’s projected stat line: 13.7 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 31.8 MPG
Season breakdown: Matthew Hurt didn’t see as much time off the bench as some of his freshman counterparts, however he was an overall good contributor to the team. The Rochester, Minn., native ended the regular season sinking 48.7 percent of his shots from the field. Hurt’s abilities made him a reliable shooter for long range shots, while his size proved to be useful a number of times throughout the course of the season.
Hurt has often been compared to his teammate Joey Baker, as both share similar size and roles on the court. Hurt earned himself much more playing time than Baker, though, and stepped in his place a number of times this season, which made for a successful first year for the freshman forward. It will be interesting to see how Hurt develops his play over time in the years to come, especially evolving his shooting game even further.
Results relative to expectations: Duke struggled quite a bit with 3-pointers last season and Hurt was expected to bring some strength into this weaker area for the team. He played up to his expectations and may have even been considered to have exceeded them. One game in particular in which Hurt extended his hopes was an early competition against Central Arkansas. The sharpshooter led the team with 19 points and went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Although Hurt did not consistently play up to what The Blue Zone had predicted for him this season, he did have some shining moments along the way and proved to be a reliable guy off the bench for Coach K.
Stay tuned to the Blue Zone for our continuing player reviews. Previous players previewed include Alex O’Connell, Joey Baker, Jack White, Javin DeLaurier, Jordan Goldwire, Justin Robinson and Wendell Moore Jr.
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