Explore All About the Basketball Gene That Prevails in Duke’s Center Kyle Filipowski’s Family

With his dominant 7-foot stance, Kyle Filipowski has showcased his versatile skills across various facets of the game. But Kyle is not the only Filipowski in the family who has the sporting genes in him, rather it is a blend that has been passed onto to him and his brother from his family.

Kyle’s performance in the regular season has been remarkable. He has been named as the First-Team All-ACC, along with earning a consensus recognition of the Second-Team All-American. As rank 7th star, he averaged 17.1 points in the ACC, grabbed 8.2 rebounds, and recorded 9 double-doubles throughout the regular season. Much of this super performance stems from his DNA itself.

Gene pool of the Filipowskis

Kyle’s father, David used to play at Slippery Rock. Similarly, his mother Rebecca aka Becky Hagerdon used to play at Warwick High School, where she accoladed several achievements under her prowess including the 1982 Parade Magazine All-American. At that time, the 6-foot-4 Hagerdon had scored 35 points and pulled down 25 rebounds as Orange County Warwick defeated Uniondale’s Maria Regina with a score of 56-36. That year, the Warwick Girls Varsity Basketball were declared the 1982 NYSPHSAA State Champions.

Becky accoladed an impressive 2164 career points and set the New York State scoring record in points. Her scoring resume included 2x Times Herald Record Player of the Year and the 1982 NYS Player of the Year. Moreover, she set the 1982 National Sports Festival foul shooting record and secured a scholarship to Long Beach State, California.

Continuing her basketball journey at the Long Beach State as a Division I college basketball player, her team made a run for the Elite 8 in the National Championship tournament. Praising her achievements, Kyle Simple puts it, “My mom, Rebecca Hagerdon, has achieved a lot in her basketball career. She was a Parade All-American and went to Long Beach State for college where she made the Elite 8 and put a ton of accolades on the walls with points and rebounds. She ended up having knee injuries and had to have career-ending surgeries.”

Notably, her career in basketball took a turn southwards due to a knee injury. However, her injury didn’t let her shortcomings spoil her spirit. That’s when she transitioned into coaching. She utilized the Physical Education and Athletic Training degree that she had pursued from SUNY, Cortland. Thereafter, she worked as an athletic trainer, coach, PE, and Health teacher while she was raising her four boys (Daniel, Taylor, and twins Matthew and Kyle).

Besides being a professional coach, she also became Kyle’s first coach. Contrary to being a caring mother, as a coach she was tough on him. She would drive Kyle and Matthew to and from games and would stay on overnight trips as a team’s companion.

She holistically invested her time in the athletic development of her sons. Resonating with her efforts, Kyle said, “My mom holds us to high expectations. She has pushed us because she wants the best for us and sees the potential. It has been awesome to see her here, seeing us through it all; she is truly the best mom I could have ever asked for.” Serving people from 2013 to 2021, Rebecca worked as a Transport Volunteer for the American Cancer Society, along with serving as a long-term substitute teacher in various capacities.

Read More: Following “Tripping” Incident, Duke’s Towering Center Kyle Filipowski Gets Heat From NCAA Analysts

The other hooping Filipowski

Moving onto another Filipowski brewing to become a college basketball star is Kyle’s twin brother Matthew aka Matt who plays as a center for the Harvard Crimson men’s basketball team. Before Harvard, he graduated from Wilbraham and Monson Academy. For two years (2019, 2020), Matt served as a goalkeeper for the Water Polo team. Earning his way to the top of his class, hence garnered the school’s Algebra 2 Award honors.

From 2019 to 2021, he played on the club circuit for New York Renaissance, and landed on the highest honor roll. He carried Wilbraham and Monson to the 2020 NEPSAC AA championship and the National Prep Tournament Elite 8. During his time at Wilbraham, Matt became a 1000-point scorer. In the 2021-22 season, he earned the All-NEPSAC honors.

In 2022-23 season, he played only three games before sustaining an injury, the details of which hasn’t been disclosed, but definitely impacted his playing time. Despite this setback, Matt continues to be a valuable asset to his team. Last season, he averaged 1.3 points, 1.3 rebounds per game, and made shots from beyond the arc with an accuracy of 50%. Similarly, this season, he averaged 1 point, 1.5 rebounds per game, and kept his field goal shooting percentage to 50% only.

Per recent updates, Matt has entered the transfer portal after spending two seasons with the Harvard Crimson. Although he struggled to step on the court at Harvard, he is a high chased after recruit, having the size to make a dominant and offensive impact on his opponent team. So far, he has landed 5 possible landing spots to play as a center.