Why does Jared McCain meditate? Exploring the Duke Guard’s ritual and its origins

Jared McCain is on the rise as one of Duke's best guards. The rookie dropped a career-high 35 points with four rebounds and one assist against Florida State on Saturday. Since his debut against Dartmouth in November last year, the freshman has been consistently upping his game.

As a five-star recruit of 2023, McCain came in with huge expectations and has delivered. And one of the biggest reasons for this is his approach to the game. McCain always credits yoga and meditation for his excellent performances.

In an interview with The Chronicle, McCain said that he uses meditation to calm himself and help focus on the game.

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“I meditate every single day, every day,” McCain said. “Especially with the social media hate and just being on the court, it helps me be so calm.”

With so much attention on him, McCain is often unduly criticized, but he does not let it get to his head. On social media, Jared McCain has amassed a huge following, regularly posting snippets of his practice and sharing what he is up to.

In one of his videos, he shared that he reads Timothy Gallwey’s “The Inner Game of Tennis” before every game, which has built his confidence the most.

Jared McCain's pre-game ritual

Pre-game jitters are pretty common, and Jared McCain shared that he uses meditation to find his breath and center himself. In the lead-up to Countdown to Craziness in October, McCain used this to calm himself.

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“Meditation always calms me down,” McCain said. “I knew [Countdown] was gonna be hectic out there, so just always being able to come back to my breath is huge.”

On Monday, after Duke's 77-69 win against Wake Forest, McCain walked through his ritual in a post-game interview.

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"I'm big into yoga and meditation," McCain said. "I just center myself, center my body, whether it's on the court, I do some yoga poses. My yoga teacher sent me some stuff to do before the game in the morning. I always come back to my breath during the game, so just pregame I'd like to do a little ritual with yoga."

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McCain has found company with his teammates, as he and Caleb Foster have yoga classes together.

What are your thoughts on Jared McCain's performances so far? Let us know in the comments.

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