An Abandoned Brotherhood: Transfer Portal Raids Duke Roster

It’s a day that ends in -y, which means another Duke basketball player has entered the transfer portal. Jon Scheyer inherited “The Brotherhood” from Mike Kyrzyzyzyzychevski and the bonds that tie it together appear to be unraveling right before our eyes.

Sean Stewart, a Top 20 recruit in the class of 2023, announced on Friday that he’s entering the transfer portal. The 6-foot-9 forward leaves Duke after averaging 8.4 minutes per game in his only season in Durham. Stewart was stuck on the bench behind court-storm victim Kyle Filipowski, who’s entering the NBA Draft after receiving second team All-American honors.

Stewart is the seventh Duke player to enter the transfer portal this offseason.

Transfer portal departures happen every year. This is a different phenomenon for Duke. What made Coach K so successful is that if his five-stars didn’t play as freshmen, they stuck around and were developed into stars. Stewart and TJ Power were five-star freshmen who were supposed to follow this plan. Power entered the portal on Thursday.

It’s not shocking that Mark Mitchell and Jeremy Roach decided to seek greener pastures elsewhere. Despite averaging a combined 25.6 points per game last season, their roles were on track to be diminished by Tyrese Proctor and Cooper Flagg, the top-ranked player in the 2025 recruiting class. Mitchell announced he will play for Missouri next year and Baylor is the favorite for Roach.

Jon Scheyer has an ACC Tournament Championship and a 27-9 record in each of his first two seasons as the Duke head basketball coach. Those results are just fine. He’s bought goodwill from the fanbase on the recruiting trail. The Bule Devils have the top-ranked incoming recruiting class, headlined by two projected lottery picks, Flagg and Khaman Maluach.

Nevertheless, it’s still odd that Duke only has two players returning for next season. It’s one thing for a new coach like Mark Pope or Pat Kelsey to be left with an empty cupboard. Jon Scheyer has his hands full this offseason. It’d be a real shame if he became the victim of his own high school recruiting success, a real shame.