Duke promotes support staffer Amile Jefferson to assistant coach

As new Duke head men’s basketball coach Jon Scheyer pieces together his staff, he has made a big promotion from within the Blue Devils’ program – elevating Amile Jefferson from director of player development to assistant coach. The team officially announced the news on Tuesday morning.

“I’m deeply honored and excited to be here and be part of this team that Jon Scheyer is building,” Jefferson said in a statement. “I feel a special bond and connection to Durham, our fans and our entire Duke family. Being here means the world to me. I want to extend my appreciation to Coach K for the opportunity to begin my coaching career last year, and I’m grateful for Jon for allowing me to continue it.”

Jefferson, 28, played at Duke from 2012-2017 before going undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft. The power forward went on to play for the Iowa Wolves in the NBA G-League from 2017-2018 before being a part of the Orlando Magic’s franchise from 2018-2020. Jefferson played his final season of basketball overseas in Turkey from 2020-2021.

A Philadelphia native, Jefferson was hired as Duke’s director of player development in July of 2021 and now makes the move up to an assistant coach with his alma mater.

“Having a front-row seat for the evolution of Amile’s career has been special,” Scheyer said in a statement. “His passion, knowledge, and ability to relate to our guys is second-to-none. He played a valuable role for our team this season, particularly in the development of our frontcourt, and this promotion allows him to make an ever bigger impact in the years ahead.

“His experience in the NBA combined with being a national champion, three-time captain and four-time Academic All-ACC pick at Duke makes Amile an essential voice on our team.”