Duke basketball roster turnover continues with this freshman entering transfer portal
As a seventh Duke basketball player entered his name in the NCAA Transfer Portal on Friday, the Blue Devils are closing in on their first addition.
Sean Stewart, a 6-9 freshman reserve forward, became the latest Blue Devils player from last season’s team to announce his departure via the portal on the same day Syracuse transfer Maliq Brown was completing his campus visit.
Stewart’s decision to find a new school, after he played in 33 games for Duke’s 27-9 team last season, leaves Duke coach Jon Scheyer with five scholarships to use on new players for next season’s team. Forwards Mark Mitchell, Christian Reeves and TJ Power, along with guards Jaden Schutt, Jaylen Blakes and Jeremy Roach preceded Stewart in entering their names in the portal.
Mitchell, the Kansas City native who started 67 games for the Blue Devils over the last two seasons, announced Friday he’ll join Missouri to play next season.
Roach, who has one season of NCAA eligibility remaining, is also entering the NBA Draft with the option of returning to play in college. Two other Duke starters from last season, Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski, are also entering the NBA Draft where they are both projected as first-round picks.
Duke coach Jon Scheyer is building a new roster around the nation’s No. 1 incoming recruiting class, which is led by the nation’s top-rated recruit in 6-9 forward Cooper Flagg. Both he and 7-1 center Khaman Maluach are both projected as top-five picks in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Duke will also have 6-11 center Patrick Ngongba, 6-6 forward Isaiah Evans, 6-5 forward Kon Kueppel and 6-5 forward Darren Harris joining next season’s team as freshmen.
The only two returning players from last season will be starting guards Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster.
The Blue Devils staff hopes to add Brown, a 6-8, 222-pound forward who made the ACC’s all-defensive team as a sophomore last season. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
A Virginia native, Brown made 72.8% of his shots inside the 3-point line last season while averaging 9.5 points and 7.2 rebounds. He produced five double-doubles, including 11 points and 12 rebounds when N.C. State beat the Orange, 83-65, in the ACC Tournament.
Should Duke complete its pursuit and land Brown, he would slot as a power forward with Flagg at the small forward and Maluach at center. Duke would also have Ngongba in its interior playing rotation.
The Blue Devils are also actively pursuing 6-6, 225-pound forward Mason Gillis, a graduate transfer from Purdue who has one season of eligibility remaining. Gillis played in all 39 games, as a reserve, as the Boilermakers advanced to the NCAA Tournament final before losing to Connecticut earlier this month.
Gillis has not yet announced plans to visit Duke’s campus.
Last season, he averaged 6.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists while playing 21.2 minutes per game. He made 47.9% of his shots overall, including an impressive 46.8% of his 3-pointers (58 of 124).
This story was originally published April 19, 2024 at 2:25 PM.