Sean Stewart to Transfer, Becomes Duke's 10th Departure
Duke is losing yet another player. Freshman forward Sean Stewart entered the transfer portal on Friday, becoming the second member of the Blue Devils' heralded 2023 recruiting class to announce his departure in two days. Seven Duke players have now announced their intention to transfer since the end of the season, while two have jumped to the NBA and another is out of eligibility. That leaves a lot of spots open for coach Jon Scheyer to fill.
Stewart was a top 20 recruit in the 2023 class, but didn't break out as a freshman. The Montverde Academy product saw action in 33 games, averaging 2.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in 8.4 minutes per contest. A physical, athletic big man, Stewart has a lot of polishing to do on his offensive game. But he's extremely talented and should have plenty of suitors on the open market.
Stewart's teammate, forward TJ Power, was another highly-coveted top 20 recruit from the 2023 class that failed to break through during his first year in Durham. Power announced his intention to transfer on Thursday following a freshman season in which he averaged 2.1 points, 0.7 rebounds in 6.7 minutes across 26 games.
Stewart and Power are joined in the portal by starting forward Mark Mitchell, starting point guard Jeremy Roach, guard Jaden Schutt, center Christian Reeves and guard Jaylen Blakes. Meanwhile, leading scorers Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain are headed for the NBA draft, and Ryan Young has exhausted his eligibility.
As it stands, starting guards Caleb Foster and Tyrese Proctor are the team's only returning scholarship players. Don't cry too hard for all of Scheyer's departures; he'll have the nation's top recruiting class to keep him warm.
Duke's 2024 prep class features six players, five of whom are ranked in the top 20. That includes the nation's top player, Cooper Flagg, as well as projected lottery pick Khaman Maluach and five stars Isaiah Evans and Kon Knueppel. Scheyer's staff is also in the process of scouring the transfer portal for help.
Duke will have plenty of talent next season despite the departures. But it's never easy to do a full roster reset over one offseason. Scheyer will have his hands full making all the pieces fit.
