1,129-309 (.785), 5 National championships, 13 Final Fours, 15 ACC Tournament Championships, and 13 ACC Regular Season Championships.
Decent resume for the man Jon Scheyer had to follow up in Durham, arguably the greatest coach the game has ever seen, Mike Krzyzewski. Yet, somehow, Scheyer, who was only 34 years old when he took over a Blue Blood program, has not only lived up to the gaudy expectations of the position, but in many ways has exceeded them.
There has never been a harder time to be the Head Coach of a College Basketball Program. Managing NIL and the Transfer Portal has proven to be an insanely difficult task, and it has become almost impossible to build any momentum from season to season. We are living in a “what can you do for me now?” society, and managing your program, the expectations of the players, is a 24 hour a day job.
The term Program CEO was intentional. The X and O’s, game management, and skill development are such small parts of the overall job at a place like Duke. You are forced to oversee a multi-million dollar business, handle countless media appointments, and oh yea, win about 80% of your games.
Needless to say, with this big of an undertaking, there were many skeptics to Scheyer being the proper man for the job. Names like Tommy Amaker and Jeff Capel surfaced, both Duke family with significant Head Coaching Experience, although only lukewarm success. Nonetheless, Jon Scheyer, never having been a Head Coach at any level, was handpicked by Coach K to be his successor.
Scheyer Was Born to Lead
One of the best players to ever wear a Duke uniform, Jon Scheyer, is a natural born leader. He is the only player in Duke history to record at least 2,000 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists, 250 3-pointers, and 200 steals in a career. Ridiculous. However, it is well documented, with countless examples, that being a good player does not necessarily mean you will be a great coach. There is probably more data that would actually suggest otherwise at the highest level as of late. This is where a few stats stand out from Scheyer’s playing career that we think directly apply to him being a great coach and leader.
He is Number 1 in Minutes Played in a Season (1,470)
He Led the Nation his Senior Season in Assist/Turnover Ratio
He has the Record for Most Consecutive Games Played (144) and never missed a practice during that stretch.
These 3 stats directly point to a few applicable qualities: Toughness and Basketball IQ. Scheyer is relentlessly competitive and also largely considered one of the brightest basketball minds in the game.
So the man was built for the position, but to win at that level you have to have DUDES. Well, Scheyer very well might be the best recruiter in the nation already, and the numbers back that up.
Duke’s Recruiting Under Jon Scheyer
2023 – #2 Ranked Recruiting Class
2024 – #1 Ranked Recruiting Class
2025 – #1 Ranked Recruiting Class
Yes, the Duke brand will help you get in any door in the nation, and we are sure Duke is playing with a large stack of NIL money. But, newsflash, so are most other High Major programs at this point. You still need to sit in the living rooms of players like Jared Mccain, Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Kaman Maluach, and Cameron Boozer and convince them that you are the one who can help them reach their dreams. No easy feat, in theory, for a 38 year old who is entering his fourth season as a Head Coach.
Even more amazing than the countless McDonald’s All Americans that Scheyer has been able to recruit has been his ability to convince guys that didn’t get everything they wanted in one year, to come back. Guys like Tyrese Proctor, Isaiah Evans, and Darren Harris were all extremely highly regarded recruits that decided to go back to Duke for extra time, which is very rare in the modern age. 9 times out of 10, if a player is ranked highly and has to earn minutes in year 1, they are meeting with compliance the day the season is over to hit the transfer portal. This speaks to the relationship that Scheyer and his staff has with every player and the trust the players have in them.
“Disappointing” Final Four
In his 3 years at the helm Jon Scheyer is 89-22 and has been to the NCAA tournament all 3 seasons. In year 1 he won his first ACC Tournament Championship, in year 2 he made the Elite 8, and in Year 3 he won both the regular season and Tournament Championships, in route to his first Final Four. With great success, comes great expectations. Despite a large first half lead in the Final Four, Duke lost to fellow Number 1 seed Houston, somehow leading the masses to crucify Scheyer for not winning a National Championship. In Year 3 as a Head Coach. A ridiculous sentiment by people that obviously have no idea how difficult getting to that point really is.
Motivated by the loss, Scheyer and company put together a roster that will 100 percent be in the conversation to make another run. Cameron and Cayden Boozer, Nikolas Khamenia, and Dame Sarr were all 5 Star Talents, and with the returners in place as well, Duke is set to be atop the ACC again.
If we were doing a fantasy draft for coaches in the country, It would be hard for us to take anyone before Jon Scheyer. He will continue to lead the Duke program in the exact direction they have headed for years, Blue Blood, National Championship contenders.
