By ADAM ZAGORIA
R.J. Barrett played his final high school game in his native Canada, and now he will play his first college games there, too.
The 6-foot-7 Barrett and his heralded fellow freshmen will be with preseason No. 1 Duke when they play exhibition games in Toronto and Montreal in August. Duke is set for a pair of contests at Hershey Centre in Toronto against Ryerson University on August 15 at 7 p.m. ET and the University of Toronto at 6 p.m. ET on August 17. The tour concludes in Montreal against McGill University at Place Bell on August 19 at 3 p.m. ET.
“It’s going to be amazing to take part in this tour,” said Barrett, who went for 47 points, five rebounds, three blocks, and one assist en route to Team White MVP honors in a 138-135 loss to Team Blue in the Signature All-Canadian Showcase in suburban Toronto on April 23. “Not only will I be putting on the Duke jersey for the first time, but I will be doing it in my home country in front of friends and family. It will be a good way to start our year, and bond with each other as teammates.”
Now Barrett and his fellow “Fab Five” members Joey Baker, Tre Jones, Cam Reddish and Zion Williamson will usher in a new era in Duke basketball for the 2018-19 season.
“We are excited about the opportunity to be tested against three quality basketball programs in Canada this summer,” said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. “More than a third of our roster includes players competing for the first time as collegians. The practices and games associated with the tour will allow us to bond as a team, while providing us with a terrific educational opportunity to see another country and two amazing cities – Toronto and Montreal. It should be especially fun for one of our newcomers, R.J. Barrett, who will be home.”
