Stewart to become 7th from Duke to enter portal

Duke forward Sean Stewart, a former top-20 recruit in the 2023 class, announced Friday that he plans to enter the transfer portal, becoming the seventh Blue Devils player to transfer since the end of the season.

Stewart’s announcement comes less than a day after fellow freshman TJ Power decided to enter the portal.

“I am grateful to have fulfilled a dream to play for the Blue Devils! I made some great memories that I will always cherish,” Stewart said in a social media post. “I have decided for my continued growth and development of my basketball goals, I will be entering the transfer portal.”

A 6-foot-9 power forward from Florida, Stewart averaged 2.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in 33 games off the bench as a freshman. He flashed his double-double ability early in the season, with 16 points and 10 rebounds in 18 minutes against La Salle, but never carved out a consistent role in coach Jon Scheyer’s rotation.

His highlight in ACC play came against NC State in early March, when he came off the bench to post 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks in 26 minutes.

Since the end of the season, Duke has now lost seven players to the transfer portal. Stewart joins Power, senior starting guard Jeremy Roach, sophomore starting forward Mark Mitchell, Jaylen Blakes, Christian Reeves and Jaden Schutt.

Stars Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain are off to the NBA, while Ryan Young is out of eligibility.

Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster are the lone returnees from this past season’s roster.

Scheyer and the Blue Devils are bringing in the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class, led by top-ranked prospect Cooper Flagg, projected lottery pick Khaman Maluach and top-10 recruit Isaiah Evans. They are also active in the transfer portal, targeting the likes of Maliq Brown (Syracuse), Brandon Angel (Stanford) and Mason Gillis (Purdue).