Player Profile: Khalil Dukes
One in a series of articles on Central Penn basketball players this season.
A brief history of Khalil Dukes, a star of the men’s Knights basketball team
By Kevon Davis
Knightly News Reporter
kevon.davis@mymail.centralpenn.edu
Khalil Dukes is shooting guard for the Central Penn men’s basketball team.
Let’s dive into the history of the 6’3’’ sophomore guard from Baltimore.
Dukes grew up in Towson, Maryland. He is the youngest in his family, and he grew his passion for basketball by watching his older brothers play. His brother was a star who received many offers from different colleges, but unfortunately, staying off the streets was hard for him, and he got incarcerated.
For Dukes, this was a hard time, but instead of seeing it as a negative, he took the responsibility to do better for himself. He felt like it was his turn to step up for his family and be the next leader for them.
LeBron James was a player who inspired Dukes to play basketball in the beginning. Now he watches Jayson Tatum, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Edwards because those are the players he feels he models his game on. He described it as being explosive like Westbrook, and being smooth and crafty like Tatum and Edwards.
Photo courtesy Central Penn College Athletics
Dukes’ favorite memory from basketball is one that we wish we could have, which is getting his first in-game dunk, in his junior year of high school. Dukes said it was a great achievement for him because he had failed in previous tries. He said he had no idea where it came from, but he was very pleased that he finally got to do it.
His worst memory is from last season, when an injury sidelined him. He was going up for a dunk and a player undercut him. Dukes hurt his wrist and was ruled out for the rest of the season. It upset him that he couldn’t play, but he knew he didn’t want to hurt the team if he couldn’t be 100%. He said it was hard watching his team in the Eastern State Athletic Conference championship game play without him.
His goal after this season is to go to a Division I school, and send his film and highlights to get an offer. He would love to go to the NBA, but he has backup plans to play overseas. He has worked out with people in the NBA, Division I basketball stars and overseas players. It is safe to say he has good teachers for him to try to fulfill his dreams.
Last year, Dukes averaged 8.2 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game. He is looking forward to having a bounce-back season and staying healthy for his team.
To check out Dukes, go to the Central Penn Athletics website, where you can also find the schedule and game times. Home games are on The Knightly News YouTube channel.
Comment or story idea? Contact KnightlyEditors@CentralPenn.Edu.
Edited by media-club co-adviser and blog editor Professor Michael Lear-Olimpi.
