Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Top Transfer John Blackwell Commits to Duke

The All-Big Ten scorer fills Duke’s need for a veteran shooter in a retooled backcourt.

Overview

  • Blackwell, who visited Durham on Monday, announced Tuesday that he will transfer from Wisconsin to Duke and told ESPN the fit “felt right.”
  • The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists last season and earned third-team All-Big Ten honors while hitting 38.9% from three.
  • He chose Duke after an official visit to UCLA and a planned Louisville trip that he canceled, narrowing from a finalist group that also included Alabama, Arizona and Illinois.
  • He is set to join a guard rotation with returnees Cayden Boozer and Caleb Foster plus five-star freshman Deron Rippey Jr., as Duke also brings back center Patrick Ngongba II and adds Belmont transfer Drew Scharnowski.
  • Blackwell is still testing the NBA draft process, so his 2026–27 return to college will hinge on feedback ahead of the late-May withdrawal deadline.