Former 5-star recruit and McDonald's All-American Sean Stewart transfers to Ohio State after one year at Duke

Sean Stewart, a 6-foot-9 forward, was one of the most conspicuous players in the 2023 high school class. But after an underwhelming season for the Duke Blue Devils, Stewart decided to enter his name in the transfer portal and add to one of the craziest off-seasons college basketball has ever seen.

Stewart announced Friday that he will be taking his talents to Columbus to play for the Ohio State Buckeyes, adding to one of the best transfer portal classes in the entire nation. Jake Diebler and the Buckeyes have now added Meechie Johnson, Aaron Bradshaw, Micah Parrish, and now Sean Stewart. Key players Bruce Thornton and Devin Royal are both returning from last year's team as well.

During his freshman season, his lack of production was based on his inconsistent distribution of minutes. The Blue Devils had a set starting five entering the season and already had some key contributors coming off the bench, so Stewart was in a little bit of a hole trying to find valuable minutes, and he simply couldn't.

He ended the season averaging 2.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in just nine minutes of action and on 1.2 field goal attempts per game. The volume was not there for one of the most sought-out freshman.

However, in a matchup on March 4th against NC State, he saw a high level of action, playing 26 minutes, and everyone saw the capabilities of the young forward. He put up 12 points, five rebounds, three blocks, and two steals while shooting 71.4% from the field. An all-around performance on both sides of the ball.

Giving out a glimpse of what Stewart could add to the Buckeyes, where he should see more minutes, more touches, and more shot attempts than he was seeing with the Blue Devils this past season. He will also be playing alongside two veteran guards who can pass the ball at a high clip, Thornton and Johnson.

Diebler Ball is in full effect, and he continues to put the Ohio State Buckeyes basketball program back on the map after some down-and-out seasons. The hope is that Sean Stewart will add to that culture change.