Duke Basketball Faces Massive Turnover as Sean Stewart Enters Transfer Portal
In a shocking turn of events, Duke basketball is facing a massive turnover as star freshman Sean Stewart has announced his decision to enter the transfer portal. Stewart, a five-star recruit from last year’s top-ranked Rivals freshman class, cited the need for continued growth and development of his basketball goals as the reason for his departure.
Stewart is the seventh player from last year’s Duke roster to enter the transfer portal, joining the likes of TJ Power, Jeremy Roach, Mark Mitchell, Jaylen Blakes, Christian Reeves, and Jaden Schutt. The exodus of these players, coupled with a couple of graduations and two players declaring for the NBA Draft, means that Duke will only have three returning players from last season’s Elite Eight team.
Despite the significant losses, Duke fans can take solace in the fact that the team has secured the top recruiting class in the country for the upcoming season. Led by Rivals’ No. 1 overall recruit Cooper Flagg, the incoming freshman class is stacked with talent, including three other five-star recruits and two four-star recruits.
Head coach Jon Scheyer, who is entering his first season without any players from the Mike Krzyzewski era, will be under pressure to deliver results with this new-look roster. While Scheyer has excelled in recruiting, he has yet to lead Duke to the Final Four. With high expectations from fans, the upcoming season will be a crucial test for the young coach as he aims to continue Duke’s legacy of success on the basketball court.