Former Purdue forward Mason Gillis commits to Duke men’s basketball as graduate transfer.

A player with major-league experience has joined the Blue Devils.

Mason Gillis, a former Purdue forward who participated in the national championship game for the Boilermakers the previous season, committed to Duke on Monday afternoon as a graduate transfer via social media. Gillis played in all 39 games for Purdue last season as a substitute and finished with a 46.8% 3-point shooting percentage. However, he did not start any games.

The 6-foot-6 forward frequently shared the court with Zach Edey, the 2023–24 Naismith Player of the Year. His ability to make 3-pointers, which he demonstrated in a 2022–23 game against Penn State, allowed him to help stretch the court.

Gillis saw a lot of shot attempts off of catch-and-shoot situations and as a backup option off the pick and roll with Edey because of Purdue’s intricate offensive scheme. He shot 86% of his free throws for the Boilermakers in the previous season, and according to CBB Analytics, his effective field goal percentage of 65.5% was in the 95th percentile nationally.

In terms of defense, Gillis is not quite the same player; in a game, he averaged just 3.9 rebounds, 0.2 blocks, and 0.2 steals. Gillis is from New Castle, Indiana. Nevertheless, he was able to contribute significantly to one of the best teams in the nation thanks to his offensive skills.

Gillis had 132 appearances and 63 starts during his time at Purdue. Every year he was there, the Boilermakers received a top-four seed in the NCAA tournament, and he was a major contributor to the team’s Big 10 championship victory in 2023.

In order to cover for the loss of sophomore Mark Mitchell, freshman TJ Power and Sean Stewart via the transfer portal, sophomore Kyle Filipowski via the NBA draft, and graduate Ryan Young to graduation, head coach Jon Scheyer selected Gillis. Gillis is Scheyer’s second forward signing after Maliq Brown was added on Saturday. Based on the current roster, Gillis will contribute more experience than any other Blue Devil.