DURHAM, N.C. — To finally cement himself as part Duke’s basketball program, Patrick Tape’ needed to take extra steps.
Having committed to join the Blue Devils as a graduate transfer from Columbia only to change his mind last Thursday, the Charlotte native spent Sunday talking with Duke’s assistant coaches and players, and had a FaceTime conversation with coach Mike Krzyzewski informing him that this time his pledge was for real.
“It was important to let them know that I’m still trustworthy,” Tape’ told the News & Observer on Monday via phone from New York City. “I had a moment of weakness. But I want to be there. I’m comfortable and excited about the opportunity.”
Because of the current circumstances due to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, the 6-foot-10, 220-pound Tape’ (pronounced tap-A) couldn’t visit Duke’s campus, meet face-to-face with the Blue Devils coaches or tour Duke’s Fuqua School of Business where he’ll be pursuing his master’s degree starting this summer.
That made things uncomfortable for both sides, which is part of the reason why this transaction got a little sidetracked before the deal was closed Sunday.
“Patrick just needed time,” said Jay Forsythe, Tape’s coach at Queen’s Grant High School in Mint Hill who mentored him through this process. “That was all it was. He just needed time to think. He felt like he rushed into that decision. Both decisions he rushed — the commit and the decommit. I just gave him room to think. He was just confused with what he needed to do. The more he thought about it, he just wanted to do the right thing.”
Maryland, Syracuse, Ohio State, Georgetown and Southern California were also under consideration for his final year of college basketball.
Tape’ is finishing up his degree in urban studies at Columbia this spring with a goal of becoming an urban planner. Duke doesn’t offer a post-graduate degree program in that specific area, but Fuqua is rated the nation’s No. 9 business school.
Tape’s basketball goals are to play in the NCAA tournament, have a chance to win a national championship and play professionally. Even if the graduate degree program isn’t an exact fit, Duke’s basketball side of things made it the right choice for Tape’ in the end.
“After I made my decision, I was a little paranoid like I may have rushed into it,” Tape’ said. “Things happened so quickly. I just realized to pursue basketball fully, Duke was the place.”
Following Tape’ reopening his recruitment last Thursday, he and Forsythe had what the coach called a ‘frank’ conversation Saturday.
By midday Sunday, Tape’ called Forsythe to say he was ready to patch things up with Duke.
To do that, though, he was on his phone for hours with guys he hoped would be his future coaches and teammates.
The Blue Devils need an experienced big man for next season’s team. The only underclassman who played in the post last season was 6-10 freshman Vernon Carey, the national freshman of the year who is expected to declare for the NBA draft.
Mark Williams, a 7-0 center, is the lone post player among the incoming freshmen class.
When Tape’ and Krzyzewski talked by FaceTime, the Hall of Fame coach allayed any concerns Tape’ may have still had by trotting out one of his favorite quotes: “Live in your dreams, not your fears.”
“He has a lot of wisdom,” Tape’ said. “He has left me with things to think about that have resonated with me ever since.”
Playing at Duke will also bring Tape’ closer to home. His mother, Elise, only saw him play once during his three seasons at Columbia in the Ivy League. Now he’ll be playing around two hours from home.
“I think I’m much more at peace with my decision,” Tape’ said. “I feel much better about it now.”
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