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Another Duke Basketball Player Ditches Blue Devils for Transfer Portal
Mark Mitchell joins Christian Reeves as the Duke basketball program's only announced departures thus far.
At one time, some experts projected Duke basketball forward Mark Mitchell to hear his name at the 2024 NBA Draft, albeit most viewed him as a second-round pick. Now, though, the general consensus is that the sophomore needs at least one more season in college to prepare his game for the next level.
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And it looks as though Mitchell will continue his development somewhere other than Duke.
On Tuesday afternoon, On3's Joe Tipton reported that the 20-year-old Mitchell, who averaged 11.6 points and 6.0 rebounds as the full-time starter at the four-spot for the 2023-24 Blue Devils, plans to enter the transfer portal. Minutes later, 24/7 High School Hoops noted that the 6-foot-9, 230-pound weapon has made his entry official.
The Kansas City native, who arrived in Durham as a five-star prospect and McDonald's All-American, was also a full-time starter as a freshman. For his career with the Blue Devils, he averaged 10.3 points and 5.2 boards per game while shooting 50.5 percent from the field but only 31.9 percent beyond the arc.
His departure seems to suggest that Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff will likely welcome back forwards Sean Stewart and TJ Power, who exhibited signs of improvement this past season as rookies in backup roles.
Mark Mitchell becomes the second Duke basketball talent to enter the transfer portal this offseason. Reserve center Christian Reeves, who played sparingly as a freshman and in only three games as a sophomore before redshirting following season-ending ankle surgery in January, reported his decision to seek an opportunity elsewhere last week.
Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI for more Duke basketball news.
