Eric Boggs
Great news for Ohio State fans! Another top-tier player has joined the Buckeyes’ basketball team.
Sean Stewart, the former Duke five-star recruit, made the big decision to commit to Ohio State over Georgetown and Cincinnati. Ranked 17th overall in the nation for the class of 2023, he was regarded as the fifth-best power forward according to 247sports.
Now part of the Buckeyes family, alongside another five-star transfer, Aaron Bradshaw from Kentucky, new Ohio State head coach Jake Diebler, has begun to assemble a roster in Columbus that could in theory compete this season.
Stewart had a dissapointing freshman year at Duke, although he didn’t get much of a chance to prove his recruiting ranking being that he was behind some big names. But when he did hit the court, he made his presence known. In just over 8 minutes per game, he averaged 2.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks. Crunching those numbers, that’s an average of 12.7 points, 15.3 rebounds, 2.5 steals, and 2.3 blocks per 40 minutes—pretty impressive, right?
Although Stewart didn’t shoot any threes in his first year, he still managed to shoot an impressive 57.1% from the field. And he had some standout games, scoring double digits against La Salle and final four team NC State.
What’s even more exciting is that Ohio State had been eyeing Stewart for a while. They were one of the first schools to show interest in him back in high school, and that connection paid off. Diebler, Ohio State’s assistant coach at the time, played a big role in sealing the deal trhough this time around.
Standing at 6-foot-9, Stewart might not be the tallest power forward out there, but his jumping ability is off the charts. He even broke Zion Williamson’s standing vertical leap record at Duke, jumping an impressive 36 inches!
With Stewart on board, Ohio State’s frontcourt is looking stronger than ever. There’s still one scholarship left, and the Buckeyes plan to use it wisely to add even more depth to their lineup. Exciting times ahead for Buckeye Nation!
