Kyle Filipowski embraces being a ‘hated’ Duke player
The Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball program has a long and rich history of being hated by other program’s fans. There are some players that have shied away from that, while others have embraced it and let it fuel their games. Heading into his second season with the Blue Devils, big man Kyle Filipowski has decided on the later approach.
“I’d say I experienced it a little bit this past year. Just hearing a lot of bad talk about me,” said Filipowski on the Brotherhood Podcast. “But that’s what happens when you’re a really good player and playing for a really good team. And I don’t really have an issue with that. I’ve kind of been slept on my whole time. I mean, no one really had me on the radar for the accomplishments I made this year.”
Filipowski says the hate he draws from the opposing team’s fan bases is nothing new. For him, it is something that he has had to deal with before. Even more so, Filipowski knows it’s one of the prime benefits of being a star player in a program that is as prestigious as Duke’s.
The seven-foot sophomore from Westtown, NY, was a solid contributor for the Blue Devils in head coach John Scheyer’s first year heading the program. Filipowski averaged 15.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game for Duke. He had an opportunity to head to the NBA after one season, as a likely first-round selection but decided to return to Duke for at least one more year.
Filipowski on fan hate: It’s actually very entertaining for me
Last year, the Duke big man got a taste of the hate others have for his program. But it appears he’s planning on embracing the hate a lot more next season, as he revealed his mindset about how opposing fans handle him in an NSFW fashion.
“I think it’s whatever. I kind of just take it with a grain of salt. You can say whatever you want. I’m just going to keep doing me.”
“I used it more as fuel to the fire, for sure. It kind of just makes me laugh because I’m like, you guys are talking s**t to me while you’re watching me play. Like, keep spending your money to watch me beat your a**. It’s actually very entertaining for me.”
Filipowski has found comfort in the role of being a hated Duke player and a little bit of entertainment. And that should lead to more entertaining instances between him, his program, and opposing fans in the upcoming college basketball season.
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