Duke is losing former five-star Mark Mitchell to transfer portal

Duke hasn't had a problem recruiting top talent, whether in the Mike Krzyzewski era or in the Jon Scheyer era. Case in point, Scheyer's 2024 class is ranked No. 1 in the nation with four incoming five-stars set to enter Durham — including No. 1 overall hoops recruit Cooper Flagg.

With that said, you never want to lose talent and experience, and that's exactly the type of loss Duke will be suffering with the news that forward Mark Mitchell will be transferring.

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Duke University and all those who supported me over the past few years,” Mitchell told On3 of his decision. “I am deeply appreciative of the impact this community has had on my life, and it will forever remain dear to my heart. Having said that, I have made the decision to enter my name into the transfer portal.”

One might think that Mitchell is going elsewhere because of the massive influx of talent heading to Duke next season, but he was a playmaker for the Blue Devils this past season, and we saw in 2024 that veteran experience is vital for teams like Duke in March Madness. 

Having a star freshman is great, but Mitchell is going to be a junior and coming off a sophomore season that saw him average 11.6 points and six rebounds per game — his experience is going to be invaluable.

Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, now it will be invaluable somewhere other than Duke.