Kyle Filipowski on his return from injury against Notre Dame: "I had this edge, this chip on my shoulder"

Coach Mike Krzyzewski chose the perfect night to come to see Kyle Filipowski and his former Duke Blue Devils play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

It was a hard fought 68-64 victory against an Irish team that would not give up on the road. Leading up to the game, it was not certain that Filipowski would play after turning his ankle against UVA.

But play he did, and Filipowski was the most effective figure on both ends of the court. He finished the game with 22 points on 9-of-16 from the floor, pairing that with six rebounds, three assists, and one block.

The New York native admitted that he came into the game with an extra level of intensity. He spoke postgame about his impressive performance:

"Definitely going into the beginning of the game, I had this edge, this chip on my shoulder. Keeping my mental health and mindset strong, not getting discouraged easily, and being aggressive. Still showing that people disrepsect me in this game and they don't know what I'm capable of."

Head Coach John Scheyer was impressed by Kyle Filipowski's performance

It was a passionate and informative postgame that will garner lottery attention in the NBA draft. Kyle Filipowski has been on a steady rise since the new year and is averaging 18.7 points per game.

Head Coach John Scheyer was impressed by the big man's toughness and play on the night:

“I thought he was strong throughout... 22 points is great of course, but the attention that he draws. [Mitchell’s] first three came from them doubling [Filipowski] in the post, and so they had to really adjust when he’s aggressive and attacking that way.”

Standing at 6'11" Kyle Filipowski is tough for just one person to manage and he garners double teams often. This creates opportunities for his teammates and being a willing passer only makes this Blue Devils team better.

A big man with good mobility, Filipowski has the ability to score at all three levels. He needs to become a better defender, but that will come with time and training.

Kyle Filipowski and the Blue Devils will take on Syracuse in a big Saturday game. It will be worth keeping an eye out for this one.