Grad transfer Ryan Young makes Blue Devil history

Originally posted on FanNation Blue Devil Country
By Matt Giles | Last updated 1/1/23

Not even legendary Duke basketball big man Christian Laettner matched the stat line that Ryan Young put together for the No. 17 Blue Devils (11-3, 2-1 ACC) in their 86-67 home win over the unranked Florida State Seminoles (4-11, 2-2 ACC) on Saturday.

Young, a 23-year-old with a year of eligibility after this season, finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds in his 24 minutes off the bench, part of a 46-point bench effort that now stands as the most by any group of Duke reserves in an ACC game in almost 18 years. He shot a perfect 7-for-7 from the field and 6-for-6 from the foul line.

According to the official Twitter account for Duke basketball stats, in doing so, the 6-foot-10, 235-pound grad transfer from Northwestern became the first Blue Devil to ever tally 20 or more points and 10 or more rebounds in any game while shooting 100 percent from the field and the foul line.

But in fairness to two-time national champion Laettner, his 31 points against Kentucky in the 1992 East Regional Final — including perhaps the most replayed game-winner in history — remains the most by any of the six Duke basketball players to have scored 20 or more points in a game without missing a shot (free throws included).

Even so, Laettner collected only seven rebounds in that game, so at least in this respect, Young outdid the man most would still call the all-time No. 1 Blue Devil.

In Duke's three ACC games this season, Ryan Young is averaging 12.0 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting 14-for-15 from the field and 8-for-8 from the charity stripe. And his 179.8 offensive rating leads the conference.

This article first appeared on FanNation Blue Devil Country and was syndicated with permission.

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