Anthony Duruji Explained

Anthony Duruji
Position:Small forward / power forward
Height Ft:6
Height In:7
Weight Lbs:209
League:NBA G League
Team:Rip City Remix
Number:28
Birth Date:22 July 1998
Birth Place:The Bronx, New York, U.S.
High School:St. Andrew's Episcopal
(Potomac, Maryland)
College:
Draft Year:2022
Career Start:2022
Years1:2022–2023
Team1:Greensboro Swarm
Years2:2023–2024
Team2:Libertadores de Querétaro
Years3:2024–present
Team3:Rip City Remix
Highlights:

Anthony M. Duruji (born July 22, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Rip City Remix of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and the Florida Gators.

High school career

Duruji is a native of Germantown, Maryland, and played basketball at St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryland.[1] He reached the 1,000 career points mark in three seasons. Duruji was a nationally ranked triple jumper but chose to focus on his basketball career.[2] He competed in the American Family Insurance High School Slam Dunk competition in 2017 and finished in second place.[3] [4] Duruji was recruited especially by college programs near his hometown but chose to commit to Louisiana Tech due to their coaching staff.

College career

As a freshman for the Bulldogs, Duruji became known for his athleticism. He was selected to the Conference USA All-Freshman team.[5] Duruji averaged 12.2 points and 6.2 rebounds during his sophomore season.

Duruji transferred to the Florida Gators and sat out the 2019–20 season.[6] He became a valuable contributor for the Gators after they lost forward Keyontae Johnson early in the 2020–21 season. Duruji started 17 of 25 games and averaged 6.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He started alongside Colin Castleton in the low post during the 2021–22 season and averaged 8.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.

On April 1, 2022, Duruji declared for the 2022 NBA draft to forgo his final season of college eligibility.[7]

Professional career

Greensboro Swarm (2022–2023)

Duruji worked out for the Washington Wizards prior to the 2022 NBA draft but was not selected.[8] He played with the Atlanta Hawks at the 2022 NBA Summer League.[9]

On September 12, 2022, Duruji signed with the Charlotte Hornets.[10] He appeared in two preseason games before he was waived on October 14, 2022.[11] On November 4, 2022, Duruji was named to the opening night roster for the Greensboro Swarm.[12]

Libertadores de Querétaro (2023–2024)

Duruji returned to the Charlotte Hornets for the 2023 NBA Summer League.[13] On September 23, 2023, he signed with the Libertadores de Querétaro of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional.[14]

Rip City Remix (2024–present)

On January 29, 2024, Duruji joined the Rip City Remix.[15]

Career statistics

College

|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2017–18| style="text-align:left;"| Louisiana Tech| 32 || 19 || 21.3 || .451 || .394 || .597 || 4.1 || .8 || .4 || 1.4 || 7.2|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2018–19| style="text-align:left;"| Louisiana Tech| 33 || 33 || 29.9 || .468 || .339 || .673 || 6.2 || .9 || .9 || 1.2 || 12.2|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20| style="text-align:left;"| Florida| style="text-align:center;" colspan="11"| Redshirt|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21| style="text-align:left;"| Florida| 25 || 17 || 22.0 || .438 || .263 || .483 || 4.4 || .6 || .6 || .4 || 6.1|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2021–22| style="text-align:left;"| Florida| 30 || 28 || 24.6 || .530 || .338 || .741 || 4.1 || 1.1 || .9 || .5 || 8.6|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career| 120 || 97 || 24.6 || .472 || .342 || .649 || 4.7 || .9 || .7 || .9 || 8.7

Personal life

Duruji is the son of Esther Obioha who participated in track, high jump and javelin for her home country of Nigeria.[16]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hall . Graham . Anthony Duruji is one of Florida's players to watch at NCAA Tournament . Gator Sports . September 23, 2022 . March 21, 2021.
  2. Web site: Harry . Chris . Duruji & Appleby Won't Sit Idly During Sit-out Seasons . Florida Gators . September 23, 2022 . August 27, 2019.
  3. Web site: Dunkin' Dog Signee to Compete in National High School Slam Dunk Contest . Louisiana Tech Sports . September 23, 2022 . March 31, 2017.
  4. Web site: Woods . David . Butler recruits miss finals of 3-point, dunk contests . IndyStar . September 23, 2022 . March 31, 2017.
  5. Web site: MBB: C-USA Announces All-Conference Teams . Conference USA . September 23, 2022 . March 5, 2018.
  6. Web site: Duruji lands at Florida; Glover, Jitoboh join signing class . USA Today . September 23, 2022 . April 17, 2019.
  7. Web site: Hall . Graham . Anthony Duruji to enter NBA Draft, won't return for Florida Gators basketball team . Gator Sports . September 23, 2022 . April 1, 2022.
  8. Web site: Jacob Calvin. Meyer. Former Terrapins Ayala, Morsell among players invited to Wizards' first pre-draft workout. The Washington Times. May 31, 2022. September 23, 2022.
  9. Web site: Lauren. Williams. Cooper, Griffin, Martin headline Hawks' Summer League roster. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. July 3, 2022. September 23, 2022.
  10. Web site: Charlotte Hornets Sign Crutcher, Duruji, Sims And Whaley. NBA.com. September 12, 2022. September 23, 2022.
  11. Web site: Hornets Waive Anthony Duruji And Jaylen Sims. NBA.com. October 14, 2022. October 17, 2022.
  12. Web site: Greensboro Swarm Announce 2022-23 Opening Night Roster. OurSportsCentral.com. November 4, 2022. November 4, 2022.
  13. Web site: Hornets Announce Summer League Minicamp Roster. NBA.com. June 30, 2023. July 8, 2023.
  14. News: Francisco. González. Libertadores anuncia a Anthony Duruji como nuevo elemento. Diario de Querétaro. September 23, 2023. October 1, 2023. Spanish.
  15. Rip City Remix. The Rip City Remix have signed Anthony Duruji . 1752067799999189150. ripcityremix. January 29, 2024. January 29, 2024.
  16. Web site: Tech Triumph: Meet Anthony Duruji . Louisiana Tech Sports . September 23, 2022 . October 4, 2018.