DURHAM – There’s mentally preparing for your former school to be different than your current one when you transfer. That mental preparedness should condition you to avoid surprises.

But some dichotomies – like Kale Catchings noting differences between Harvard and Duke – are too strong to ignore.

Catchings, who joined Duke’s program after four years at Harvard, noted that in September, Duke’s graduate students were camping out for tickets. That’s different than games at Harvard’s Lavietes Pavilion.

“I was like, ‘They’re camping out in September – at Harvard we had kids on laptops during games,’” Catchings said with a laugh.

That certainly helps put things in perspective for Catchings, who transferred to Duke and will provide the Blue Devils with some depth, toughness and experience on the wing. He averaged 6.5 points and 3.0 rebounds across 44 games, starting 30 of those, and is a 34.1% career 3-point shooter (31 of 91).

The 6-5, 215-pounder is the nephew of Tamika Catchings, who won an NCAA title at Tennessee and thrived in a 15-year career in the WNBA, and is the grandson of Harvey Catchings, who had an 11-year NBA career mostly with the 76ers and Bucks.

For Kale Catchings, transferring to Duke is as simple as wanting to do one thing.

“I wanted to win,” Catchings said during Duke’s media day last month. “I wanted to win – one of my biggest regrets was never making the NCAA tournament at Harvard, so that was a big goal of mine.”

Catchings also knew he wanted to pursue a high academic standard. He didn’t have Duke on his radar initially in the transfer process.

But once Duke became an option, “I kind of jumped at it,” he said.

“I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better, I’ve gotten a lot stronger,” Catchings said. “Just the resources available here are a little different than somewhere that prioritizes academics over everything and doesn’t put as much into athletics as Duke does.”

Catchings played for former Duke star Tommy Amaker at Harvard, linking him to Duke’s lineage before he joined the program.

“Kale came highly recommended by all his coaches,” coach Jon Scheyer said through a news release when he joined the Blue Devils. “He is physical and will bring a toughness that will make everyone in our program better.”

Catchings didn’t go as far as saying players at Duke work harder than those at Harvard; he simply noted the differences in the atmospheres of the work being completed.

“It’s a different type of grind here,” Catchings said. “There’s kind of this positivity aspect that everyone shows up here ready to work hard, but like, wants to be here and wants to work hard.

“There’s more of this positive aspect to the grind that I don’t think I foresaw coming, and I think that’s actually been one of the most enlightening parts of being here.”

Whenever Catchings enters a game for Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium this season, it won’t be his first time playing on Tobacco Road.

Harvard lost 77-57 at North Carolina during the 2018-19 season, with Catchings playing four minutes. And the Crimson’s season ended with a 78-77 loss in the NIT at N.C. State.

“Had a couple, you know, big games,” Catchings said of playing on the road. “But to have that support on your side is kind of different, so I’m really looking forward to that.”