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Duke Basketball: Sean Obi transferring from Blue Devils program

By Rees Woodcock

Mar 10, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Sean Obi (34) battles for a rebound with Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Zach Auguste (30) and Fighting Irish guard Demetrius Jackson (11) in the second half during day three of the ACC conference tournament at Verizon Center. The Fighting Irish won 84-79 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 10, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Sean Obi (34) battles for a rebound with Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Zach Auguste (30) and Fighting Irish guard Demetrius Jackson (11) in the second half during day three of the ACC conference tournament at Verizon Center. The Fighting Irish won 84-79 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Duke basketball team had a rough run in the NCAA tournament losing to No. 7 seed South Carolina in the second round. That might not be the biggest worry for the program, though.

It was announced today by Evan Daniels of Scout, that Duke forward Sean Obi is transferring out of the program and will seek a new team to play with next season. He will graduate early and be eligible to play immediately with whatever program he chooses to commit to, according to Daniels.

Obi makes for the second big man to transfer from Duke since their elimination from the NCAA tournament. Chase Jeter announced almost a week ago that he will be transferring from the Blue Devils program as well.

The upside to Obi was tremendous when he decided to transfer into Duke after one season with Rice. He spent that 2013-14 season with the Owls averaging 11.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game and being selected to the Conference USA All-Freshman team. Those impressive numbers as a true freshman enabled him to be looked at by bigger programs.

Obi decided to transfer out of Rice and committed to Duke. He had to sit out the 2014-15 season due to NCAA transfer rules but then was eligible to play for the 2015-16 campaign. During that season he only played in 10 games for the Blue Devils. He managed to average .5 points and 1 rebound per game during the minutes he saw.

This past season, Obi had successful knee surgery but it sidelined him for the entire year. Duke could have really used him in the NCAA tournament but it is better to take the necessary precautions to avoid another knee issue.

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Now Obi is looking for a new team to finish out his collegiate career. He is a talented player that has had a rough few years. Whoever snags this kid will get a good player with some serious upside.