Duke men’s basketball is adding an exciting new class of signees and transfers for head coach Jon Scheyer’s second season at the helm, and the Blue Zone is here to analyze film on each of the incoming Blue Devils. We have already looked at Jared McCain and Neal Begovich. Next up is Sean Stewart:
With the loss of one Montverde Academy product comes the arrival of another. As former Duke headliner Dariq Whitehead exchanges white and royal blue for a Brooklyn Nets jersey, incoming freshman Sean Stewart looks to fill his shoes as the resident Montverde graduate controlling the forward position in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Stewart, a 6-foot-9 power forward out of Windermere, Fla., has been waiting to join the Blue Devil squad since his commitment to the Brotherhood in December 2021. His athleticism will bring a strong set of talents to head coach Jon Scheyer’s roster, and as a versatile player with potential written all over him, Stewart is shaping up to be an asset that this Duke team can utilize in a number of different roles.
A defensive powerhouse, Stewart moves with purpose to put himself in front of the basket as often as possible, working with a determination that helped him to average 8.3 defensive rebounds per game in his junior season, his best to date. The Floridian is quick to take advantage of any chance for ball control, a quality that promises to really fill a hole in the Blue Devils’ defensive execution. Watch Stewart jump to snag a rebound and quickly turn the ball around to his team’s advantage.
Power is certainly the right word to define this power forward. A lack of hesitation sets him up with a threatening shooting arm that landed 52.1% of its shots his senior season, with mid-range jumpers sharing the spotlight with layups and slam dunks. Watch him convert a short and efficient pass into a deep field goal.
Stewart works quickly while managing to take necessary steps to ensure ball control, proving his game to be one developed beyond his years. This is a quality he shares with Whitehead, whose efficiency on the court was enabled by patience and strategy as well as athletic force and skill. None of that is to say, however, that Stewart lacks that powerful athleticism. On the contrary, sheer physical prowess is one of his biggest advantages on the court, allowing him to make power plays like this one without much exertion.
For the first time in years, Scheyer and the Brotherhood will lean heavily on veterans to carry Duke to success. Other incoming freshmen might be relegated to the bench to make room for returning superstar talent. There may be room for Stewart, however, to flex his abilities in Cameron Indoor Stadium despite his freshman status. He could very well share time on the floor with rising sophomore Mark Mitchell, whose prowess on the court is certainly tough, but different from Stewart’s. If Scheyer wants to shake up his rotation, this young Floridian might have his turn in the spotlight.
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Sophie Levenson is a Trinity junior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.