Duke basketball roster moves: Mark Mitchell joins Christian Reeves in transfer portal

Duke basketball is losing a two-year starter to the NCAA’s transfer portal.

Mark Mitchell, a 6-foot-8 forward who started 67 games over the past two seasons, is planning to transfer and continue his college career at a new school.

He joins 7-1 sophomore center Christian Reeves, who redshirted this season, among Blue Devils entering the transfer portal since Duke’s season ended one win short of the Final Four.

Mitchell averaged 11.6 points and six rebounds this season as the Blue Devils went 27-9 for the second consecutive season. Duke relied upon his defensive versatility since Mitchell was quick enough to guard smaller ball handlers and big enough to defend larger interior players.

“He’s one of the most underrated and most versatile players in the country,” Duke assistant coach Chris Carrawell said last month during the NCAA Tournament.

But, after scoring 15 points with five rebounds when Duke beat Vermont, 64-47, in the NCAA Tournament’s first round, he combined for just 10 points and 12 rebounds over Duke’s final three NCAA Tournament games. That included six points and four rebounds in Duke’s 76-64 loss to N.C. State in the NCAA Tournament South Region final

During the past two seasons, removing the four games Mitchell missed due to injury, Duke had a 33-4 record when Mitchell scored in double digits and went 19-12 when he didn’t.

A Kansas City native, Mitchell arrived a Duke in 2022 as a five-star recruit from Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas. He received permission to wear jersey No. 25, which Duke had retired to honor 1963 national player of the year Art Heyman.

Mitchell’s departure, though, comes as Duke anticipates a plethora of talented interior players arriving as freshmen this summer. That includes 6-9 Cooper Flagg, the No. 1-ranked player in the class, who is projected as the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Duke is also bringing in 7-1 center Khaman Maluach, a South Sudanese player also expected to be a top five pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and 6-11 center Patrick Ngongba from Virginia’s Paul VI High School.

The Blue Devils still have 6-9 forward Sean Stewart, who averaged 2.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in 33 games as a freshman this season, on the roster for next season.

In addition to Mitchell and Reeves, Duke will also lose 6-10 graduate student center Ryan Young, who has exhausted his college eligibility. Kyle Filipowski, a 7-0 sophomore center who led Duke in scoring (16.4 points) and rebounding (8.3) this season for the second year in a row, is expected to leave school for the NBA Draft.

Duke explored, but did not add, a veteran big man through the transfer portal last year and is already considering an addition there for next season’s team.