There was a time not too long ago when Jake Diebler and Sean Stewart would talk on a near-daily basis. Stewart was a five-star prospect in the 2023 class and Diebler was his lead recruiter as an assistant coach at Ohio State.

Now that relationship will resume even as the situations have changed. Stewart is no longer a prep prospect and Diebler is no longer an assistant coach, but the two will join forces this season. After one year at Duke, Stewart has committed to play for Diebler in his first full season as Ohio State head coach.

In an abbreviated recruitment process compared to when he was in high school, Stewart said the relationship established with Diebler the first time around proved a deciding factor in his decision to transfer to the Buckeyes.

“Me and Diebler picked up our previous vibe from the first time recruiting me,” Stewart said. “He was the lead recruiter when I was in high school. We talked almost every day leading up to my decision day, so to have that call when he called me the first day when I entered the portal, it was exciting to talk to him again. He kept reiterating how crazy it was that this came full circle that he recruited me as an assistant coach and now he’s a head coach.

“It’s a lot of chemistry since the first day he started recruiting me.”

A 6-foot-9, 227-pound forward from Windermere, Florida, Stewart played one season at Duke and averaged 2.6 points and 3.2 rebounds while playing 8.3 minutes per game in 33 appearances off the bench. He joins the Buckeyes with three years of eligibility remaining and goals of showing off more of his ability.

"I just want to show people what I can do, really help my team win," he said. "We have a really talented team. I know we can make it far, so I just really want to be a focal point of the team to help us get to where we want to go. I’m going to be in the gym, working as hard as I can to help us get there."

This is the second time Ohio State has recruited Stewart. The Buckeyes hosted him on an official visit during the fall of 2021 after having seen him play high school and AAU basketball on the same team as eventual one-and-done forward Brice Sensabaugh, but after Stewart took an official visit to Duke he committed to the Blue Devils. That time, he also took official visits to Stanford, Michigan and Georgetown.

Stewart played in the same AAU program as Ohio State's Bruce Thornton.

"I've been talking to him (again)," he said of Thornton. "Me and Brice, we’re really close and we talk a lot. He’s going to be really excited when he hears the news."

Once Stewart entered the transfer portal, his father, Michael Stewart, said the family was leaning on previously established relationships during his first recruitment to help make a decision in a relatively short period of time. Sean Stewart took official visits to Cincinnati, Ohio State and Georgetown this spring before committing to the Buckeyes.

This visit was more succinct, Sean Stewart said. It lasted roughly a day and allowed him to spend time with the coaching staff, see the facilities again and get a feel for the academic side of life at the university.

It also underscored the opportunity ahead for both sides, his father said.

“One thing that’s super important is coach Diebler’s a young coach, and the opportunity for them to grow together,” Michael Stewart said. “They had a previous relationship. He’s an assistant coach. Now he’s the head coach. Hasn’t coached many games. Sean, I guess, big-time high school recruit. Didn’t play a lot of minutes. Now they’re paired back together with an opportunity to grow together to do some really special things at Ohio State University. I’m looking forward to that piece of the story.”

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A five-star prospect in the 247Sports.com composite rankings, Stewart was the No. 17 overall prospect in the 2023 class. He’s the second McDonald’s All-American to transfer to Ohio State this offseason, joining former Kentucky center Aaron Bradshaw.

As a transfer, 247Sports ranked Stewart as a four-star prospect and the No. 62 overall transfer.

On the court, Sean Stewart said Ohio State's recent history with E.J. Liddell and Keita Bates-Diop helped provide a blueprint for how he could be utilized.

"Ohio State, they’ve had a lot of versatile 4s come through there and show what they can do on the next level and ultimately gone onto the NBA," he said. "I’ve watched guys like E.J. Liddell and Keita Bates-Diop, guys like that who were very versatile that Diebler was able to work with, be in the gym with.

"Seeing those guys, being able to show my full skill-set, that’s something that Diebler really saw me do a lot in high school, which is why he believed in me to come into the program and help them. I feel like they need some depth at the forward spot, so I’ll get a chance to help right away."

As a prep senior, Stewart transferred to Montverde (Florida) Academy, where he averaged 8.5 points and 5.5 rebounds while playing 15.4 minutes per game in 25 appearances. He represented the United States in 2022 FIBA World Cup, helping the U-17 team capture a gold medal in Spain by scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in a 79-67 win against the host country in the final game.

His arrival leaves Ohio State with one roster spot remaining. The Buckeyes lost five players to the transfer portal and have now added four while remaining in the market to add one more post player with size to fill out the 2024-25 roster.

ajardy@dispatch.com

@AdamJardy

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State lands commitment from Duke transfer Sean Stewart