SUMMARY
- Jaylen Blakes endured a nasty fall after a colliding with James Madison's Noah Freidel.
- Duke is currently examining the intensity of the fall or any potential injuries.
There is a lot of concern surrounding Jaylen Blakes after he went down hard during the Duke vs. James Madison game. Blakes, who plays for Duke is known for being an impactful player. He performs with great intensity and power, but this time his athleticism became his worst enemy. These are things players usually learn very early in their careers and the sooner the better. Sometimes, being extremely athletic can also result in dangerous outcomes.
Duke was lucky that no other stars were involved in the mid-air collision involving James Madison’s Noah Freidel. Blakes drove to the basket for a powerful one-handed jam. Freidel met Blakes at the rim and attempted to block his shot. But after a slight miscalculation, his block attempt sent Blakes to the floor and off the court. But eventually, the Blue Devils managed to secure the win to advance into the next round of the NCAA Tournament.
Jaylen Blakes will be examined for any further injuries
Jaylen Blakes remained on the floor for a while before leaving the game during the second half. Duke already had a sizeable lead and they managed to blowout JMU 93-55. Jared McCain scored 30 points to lead Duke to a victory. He was assisted by Tyrese Proctor who scored 18 points along with 3 rebounds and 5 assists. Kyle Filipowski and Jeremy Roach had notable performances as well.
Duke Blue Devils freshman Jared McCain today in the NCAA Tournament #NBADraft
— 30 points
— 5 rebounds
— 10/15 FG
— 8/11 3P
— 2/2 FT pic.twitter.com/IYQ3qwdK2V— No Ceilings (@NoCeilingsNBA) March 24, 2024
Jaylen Blakes played for five minutes and scored 2 points before exiting the game. The fall seemed very scary and losing a player like him will negatively impact Duke’s bench lineups. The medical team will examine Blakes to analyze if he has any serious injuries or possibly a concussion.
Was a flagrant call appropriate for Noah Freidel’s foul on Jaylen Blakes?
Freidel was rewarded with a flagrant foul despite barely making contact with Jaylen Blakes. Fans were not pleased with the outcome of the play. One fan said, “From the looks of it. It doesn’t look intentional or dirty. Just a hard awkward fall.” Another individual commented, “It’s not always smart to try to dunk on somebody, especially at his height.” It seems like fans are siding with Freidel claiming Blakes should’ve been more careful on lift-off.
It’s not always smart to try to dunk on somebody, especially at his height
— Him_Downstairs (@HimDownstairs10) March 25, 2024
From the looks of it. It doesn’t look intentional or dirty. Just a hard awkward fall
— Clay Sherm 🆑 (@Jayy4Threee) March 25, 2024
Duke’s Head Coach, Jon Scheyer also said, “Jaylen, that’s a scary play. I don’t think there was any bad intention at all. Just it’s a scary play. Obviously, we have to get him examined and checked out, but I don’t know his status yet.” Hopefully, Blakes avoids major injuries. But the referees might have gone too far by rewarding Freidel with a flagrant. Freak accidents are quite common in sports, and this is just an example of it.