Anthony Duruji
Duruji with Florida in 2022
No. 10 – Libertadores de Querétaro
PositionSmall forward / power forward
LeagueLNBP
Personal information
Born (1998-07-22) July 22, 1998
The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight209 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High schoolSt. Andrew's Episcopal
(Potomac, Maryland)
College
NBA draft2022: undrafted
Playing career2022–present
Career history
2022–2023Greensboro Swarm
2023–presentLibertadores de Querétaro
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

Anthony M. Duruji (born July 22, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Libertadores de Querétaro of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP). 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][2] He reached the 1,000 career points mark in three seasons.[2] Duruji was a nationally ranked triple jumper but chose to focus on his basketball career.[3] He competed in the American Family Insurance High School Slam Dunk competition in 2017 and finished in second place.[2][4] Duruji was recruited especially by college programs near his hometown but chose to commit to Louisiana Tech due to their coaching staff.[2]

College career

As a freshman for the Bulldogs, Duruji became known for his athleticism.[5] He was selected to the Conference USA All-Freshman team.[6] Duruji averaged 12.2 points and 6.2 rebounds during his sophomore season.[7]

Duruji transferred to the Florida Gators and sat out the 2019–20 season.[7][8] He became a valuable contributor for the Gators after they lost forward Keyontae Johnson early in the 2020–21 season.[8] Duruji started 17 of 25 games and averaged 6.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.[8] 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.[8]

On April 1, 2022, Duruji declared for the 2022 NBA draft to forgo his final season of college eligibility.[8]

Professional career

Greensboro Swarm (2022–2023)

Duruji worked out for the Washington Wizards prior to the 2022 NBA draft but was not selected.[9] He played with the Atlanta Hawks at the 2022 NBA Summer League.[10]

On September 12, 2022, Duruji signed with the Charlotte Hornets.[11] He appeared in two preseason games before he was waived on October 14, 2022.[12] On November 4, 2022, Duruji was named to the opening night roster for the Greensboro Swarm.[13]

Libertadores de Querétaro (2023–present)

Duruji returned to the Charlotte Hornets for the 2023 NBA Summer League.[14] On September 23, 2023, he signed with the Libertadores de Querétaro of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional.[15]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Louisiana Tech 321921.3.451.394.5974.1.8.41.47.2
2018–19 Louisiana Tech 333329.9.468.339.6736.2.9.91.212.2
2019–20 Florida Redshirt Redshirt
2020–21 Florida 251722.0.438.263.4834.4.6.6.46.1
2021–22 Florida 302824.6.530.338.7414.11.1.9.58.6
Career 1209724.6.472.342.6494.7.9.7.98.7

Personal life

Duruji is the son of Esther Obioha who participated in track, high jump and javelin for her home country of Nigeria.[5]

References

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