Could a player with 147 college minutes on his resume be the key to a deep Duke run in March? Or at least a key?
Well, maybe if it’s a player Jon Scheyer says can do things no one else on his roster can do.
I’m talking about Sean Stewart, of course, a raw but prodigiously talented freshman post.
I freely acknowledge that it may be too late for Stewart to make a big jump until next season.
But it’s not unprecedented.
If you’re a Blue Devil it helps if your last name is Williams. Shelden (2003), Elliott (2009) and Mark (2021 all went from buried on the bench in their freshman seasons to major contributors down the stretch. Even Weldon Williams had his best moments late in his freshman campaign in 1983.
Of course there’s Grayson Allen, the unexpected freshman hero of the 2015 Final Four.
Let’s look at Mark Williams. He was a freshman during the COVID year, when Cameron was filled with cardboard cutouts.
But the games counted. On January 9, 2021 Williams started against Wake Forest. He played four minutes, had three turnovers and two fouls and looked like a man whose hands hadn’t been introduced to each other. He played two minutes in each of Duke’s next two games. Over a four-game span in January Williams played 14 scoreless minutes. As late as February 20 Williams played seven minutes against Virginia, without a point or rebound.
Williams ended his freshman season scoring 74 points in his final four games. His last game saw him post 23 points and 19 rebounds against Louisville in an ACC Tournament win, a win that turned out to be Duke’s final game that season due a positive COVID test.
So, it can be done.
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