Duke's Mark Mitchell Commits to Missouri; 5-Star Sean Stewart Enters Transfer Portal

The Duke University men's basketball team lost a pair of highly touted recruits to the transfer portal on Friday.

Forward Mark Mitchell, who played two seasons for the Blue Devils, announced on Instagram that he has committed to play at Missouri after previously entering the portal. Also, forward Sean Stewart announced on Instagram that he is entering the transfer portal after one season at Duke.

Both Mitchell and Stewart were contributors to a Duke team that went 27-9 and reached the Elite Eight last season.

Mitchell was a 5-star prospect who 247Sports rated the No. 13 overall player and No. 3 power forward in his recruiting class.

The 6'9" forward from Kansas City, Kansas, averaged 9.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game as a freshman, but his role increased significantly during his sophomore campaign in 2023-24.

Mitchell averaged 11.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per contest while shooting 54.0 percent from the field. He finished as Duke's fourth-leading scorer in terms of points per game.

He represents a huge addition for Mizzou, as the Tigers are coming off an 8-24 season. However, a quick turnaround could be in the offing since they went 25-10 in 2022-23.

Per Matthew Harris of Rock M Nation, Missouri head coach has been hard at work in the transfer portal, as he previously landed guards Tony Perkins and Marques Warrick from Iowa and Northern Kentucky, respectively. Mitchell, Perkins and Warrick are all rated as 4-star transfers by 247Sports.

While losing Mitchell is significant in the short term, Stewart could prove to be a major long-term loss for Duke.

Although Stewart averaged only 2.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game for the Blue Devils as a freshman last season, 247Sports rated him as a 5-star prospect, as well as the No. 22 overall player and No. 6 power forward in his recruiting class.

In addition to losing Mitchell and Stewart from last season's team, leading scorers Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain entered the 2024 NBA draft. Also, Jeremy Roach, Jaylen Blakes, Christian Reeves and Jaden Schutt have entered the transfer portal.

As a result, head coach Jon Scheyer will likely have to lean heavily on young, inexperienced players from the 2024 recruiting class next season.

Fortunately for Scheyer and Duke fans, the Blue Devils have the top incoming class, per 247Sports.

Duke has secured commitments from four 5-star recruits and two 4-star recruits, including Cooper Flagg, who is 247Sports' No. 1 overall recruit in the 2024 class.