Sean Stewart brings family pedigree to Duke
WINDERMERE, Fla. (BVM) — Before Sean Stewart was born, he was already destined to play basketball.
His father, Michael, had an eight-year NBA career, while his grandfather, Mike, had a prestigious career at Santa Clara, taking home the WCC Player of the Year in 1972, then enjoying an eight-year career overseas.
When Sean himself became a and a Duke basketball commit, his success was just a part of the family tradition.
Sean was born in the twilight of his father鈥檚 career, so he does not have any memories of him playing, but he still has benefited from having the constant guidance and wisdom of an NBA veteran at his disposal.
鈥淗e always gives good advice,鈥� Sean said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e always talking about basketball 24/7. Even my mom. It鈥檚 really fun to be around. Everybody loves basketball so much in our household.鈥�
While he did not witness him play, Sean has still been able to see his father鈥檚 professionalism and work ethic first-hand, something that Sean has been able to put in his back pocket and implement himself.
鈥淗e always says to just always play hard and always work hard,鈥� Sean said. 鈥淲henever I step on the floor, I try to play as hard as I can. He always says that you don鈥檛 have to play good, just play hard. But if you play hard, you鈥檒l most likely play good.鈥�
This is one of the traits that made the 6-foot-8, 210–pound power forward from Windermere High School so coveted on the recruiting trail. Before he committed to the Blue Devils in Dec. 2021, Stewart received 15 Power 5 offers.聽
But for Sean, he grew up a Duke fan. He went to Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first time as a nine-year-old and fell in love with everything that Duke basketball is about. When he received that scholarship, it meant a little bit more and made his decision a little bit easier.
鈥淲hen I went to that game, just the atmosphere in there, all of the fans and Coach K made it a crazy experience,鈥� Sean said. 鈥淚 was a Duke fan ever since. When I got the offer, I couldn鈥檛 pass it up.鈥�
With Sean鈥檚 prestigious ranking and his pledge to arguably the most prestigious basketball program in the country, there comes pressure. But for Stewart, while he appreciates the recognition, he knows that he must keep pushing harder to accomplish everything he desires.
鈥淚t鈥檚 great that I could go in there and look at the rankings and see myself at the top, but there鈥檚 always work to be done,鈥� Sean said. 鈥淏ut to know that I have respect from everybody is really cool. But we just have to keep our head down and keep working.鈥�
If all goes to plan for Stewart, he鈥檒l finish out his high school career with a state championship and some individual accolades before becoming one of the next greats for the college basketball program he grew up rooting for.
