‘I couldn’t pout’: How Duke forward Matthew Hurt went from the bench to all-ACC

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When the world shut down, Matthew Hurt locked in.

“I think the quarantine really helped me,” said Hurt, a McDonald’s All-American in 2019 who ended his freshman season as a seldom-used reserve for Duke.

The 6-9 forward, known for his scoring prowess at Rochester’s John Marshall High School in Minnesota, scored just seven points in 30 minutes of play over the final three games Duke played last March.

The pandemic struck with Hurt at a low point of an up-and-down freshman season that saw him finish with a 9.7 scoring average.

He returned home to quarantine with his family and got to work at his old high school gym where he had all that previous success.

“Last year was a lot of ups and downs for me,” Hurt told the News & Observer last week. “Just trying to learn from every single day. There’s some good games, there’s some bad games, some really bad games, whatever it is. But I couldn’t pout. I just had to keep getting better, because you really have two things to do. You pout and you’re into your stuff or you just come show up the next day and just work.”

That work, especially one new weapon he added to his game, transformed Hurt into a first-team, all-ACC player and the league’s leading scorer at 18.7 points per game entering the ACC tournament.

Duke’s Matthew Hurt (21) celebrates after hitting a three-pointer during the first half of N.C. State’s game against Duke at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, February 13, 2021.
Duke’s Matthew Hurt (21) celebrates after hitting a three-pointer during the first half of N.C. State’s game against Duke at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, February 13, 2021.

A rough start

Hurt entered Duke in summer 2019 having averaged 37.4 points per game as a high school senior. A five-star recruit, he carried the same hopes as Duke’s elite freshman do each year of staying a season in college before becoming an NBA Draft pick.

He showed flashes of that kind of talent, topping 20 points in three games including a 25-point effort with five 3-pointers in a win over Boston College. There were just as many games on the opposite side of things, like scoring three points with three fouls in nine minutes in a loss to N.C. State.

In Duke’s final three games, he went scoreless in nine minutes in a loss to Virginia, had seven points in 12 minutes in a win over N.C. State and turned in another scoreless game in nine minutes as Duke beat UNC.

It wasn’t that Hurt was a bad shooter — he made 48.7% of his shots last season, after all. But he lacked the physical strength to handle more experienced players on both ends, and that led to his confidence waning.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski told Hurt as much when they discussed his future last spring.

“It would have been a really bad decision to go early last year,” Krzyzewski said, “because he wasn’t ready.”

You can go home again

With coronavirus grinding the world to a halt and putting the college basketball season to an end before Duke could play an ACC tournament game, Hurt retreated to familiar surroundings to work on getting ready.

His parents, Rich and Jenny Hurt, along with his brother, Michael, and sister, Katie, become his teammates.

He worked daily at his high school, using the weight room for workouts designed by Duke’s strength coach, Will Stephens. Hurt took advice and lessons from Krzyzewski and his assistants on how to improve his game.

“My mom supported me, but my sister, my brother, and my dad did, you know, most of the core stuff,” Hurt said. “So I think whether it was getting extra shots up was early in the morning, late at night, whether it’s my brother putting me through workouts, I think I think really helped me to, to try to have a big jump this season.”

Michael Hurt’s presence played a particularly important role. At 6-7 and 220 pounds, he had just completed his college career at Minnesota and earned his degree.

Duke forward Matthew Hurt (21) shoots over defense from Wake Forest forward Ody Oguama (33) on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021 in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Duke forward Matthew Hurt (21) shoots over defense from Wake Forest forward Ody Oguama (33) on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021 in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Adding a new weapon

Matthew and Michael Hurt spent plenty of time on the court together, where Matthew started working on a step-back, fade-away jump shot. Michael Hurt mentioned that, with Matthew Hurt’s high shot release from his 6-9 frame, it could be an effective approach.

“Me and him, we play one on one a lot,” Matthew Hurt said. “And that’s really where I started really using it. And he just basically said, `Like, I can’t defend that any better.’ And, you know, he kept telling me `That could be like your go to.’”

That shot has become a major part of Hurt’s game. He improved his shooting percentage to an ACC-best 55.6% from the field.

“You always hope guys add new things to their games,” Duke associate head coach Jon Scheyer said. “And one of the things with Matt, we’ve talked about just different ways of being able to create shots. So, I credit him. That’s the work that he did.”

Hurt also added strength to his frame, bulking up 20 pounds, and now plays at a smoother level. His shots, which often seemed rushed as a freshman, leave his hands with confidence.

Krzyzewski made the analogy of a new driver venturing out into the left lane on the freeway for the first time.

“There’s an evolution, progress that you need to make,” Krzyzewski said. “His quickness, his strength, not just his foot quickness, but his speed at which he played and got a shot off. His whole movement thing needed to get a lot quicker.”

Taking the next step

Last year, Hurt made 53.8% of his shots in transition. This season, it jumped to 66.7%, according to Synergy Sports. His adjusted field goal percentage, which takes into account 3-pointers, is 83.3% after being 62.8% last season.

He’s playing faster and hitting more shots led to some big scoring nights this season. Hurt scored 20 points or more in 10 of Duke’s 22 games, topping out with 37 against Louisville on Feb. 27.

He’s made 47.3% of his 3-pointers and 65.2% of all shots inside the arc.

After not being voted to the preseason all-ACC team, Hurt made first team all-ACC on Monday while also being named the ACC’s most improved player.

Duke’s Matthew Hurt (21) drives around N.C. State’s D.J. Funderburk (0) during the second half of Duke’s 69-53 victory over N.C. State at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, February 13, 2021.
Duke’s Matthew Hurt (21) drives around N.C. State’s D.J. Funderburk (0) during the second half of Duke’s 69-53 victory over N.C. State at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, February 13, 2021.

Overall, it’s been a lost season for Duke (11-11), which enters the ACC tournament as a program-worst No. 10 seed needing five wins to claim an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.

Without that kind of miraculous run, the Blue Devils will almost certainly miss the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1995.

Hurt, though, showed good things can come from poor circumstances. Most NBA Draft projections peg him as a second-round selection, meaning he’s come a long way but still has more improvement to do.

He could do it as a professional by leaving Duke after this season or he could stay another year with the Blue Devils and work to strengthen his game even more.

He said he’ll talk to his family and Duke’s coaches and gather as much input as possible before making a decision.

“However long it takes, it’s gonna take,” Hurt said.

But, from what Hurt showed from last season to now, Krzyzewski is confident he’ll keep getting better no matter where he plays.

“He is still going to get better,” Krzyzewski said. “Whether it’s here or in the pros, he’s gonna get better because he’ll work at it. He’s been a really good worker.”