Jon Scheyer opens up on how he is driven by loss in NCAA Tournament

After leading Duke to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in his first season at the helm for the Blue Devils, head coach Jon Scheyer helped the team advance to the Elite Eight in last year’s March Madness. Eliminated by an NC State team that also eliminated them from the ACC Tournament in the championship game.

Scheyer and the Blue Devils showing improvement in the NCAA Tournament from year one to year two is a promising sign. But one that Duke fans are surely not satisfied with at large in the big picture. And neither is Scheyer, who opened up with Duke alum and current analyst Jay Bilas about how last year’s postseason elimination fuels his fire.

“I think for me look, even right now drives me,” Scheyer told Bilas on The Brotherhood Podcast. “I’ve been really fortunate to be a part of championship teams here, and high school, and all the way through. But before then it’s been tough losses and disappointment and you either can make an excuse and rationalize or you can look in the mirror and think about how can we build off of what we’ve done?”

Duke has finished both seasons under Scheyer with a 27-9 record, also taking home the ACC Tournament title in 2023. And despite being one of eight teams remaining in college basketball during March, the pain of being that close to a national title stings for the young head coach.

“Because we’ve done really good things like you said. There’s 300? How many teams now? I lose track every year, 360, and you’re one of eight, you have a chance to go to a Final Four so that’s good. But yeah, you’re that close, it hurts that much more. And so for me, it drives me like crazy every day,” Scheyer admitted.

There’s a fine line between dwelling too much on the past and using it as a means of motivation. A balance that Scheyer is looking to achieve this offseason as he brings in the top-rated recruiting class in the country.

“There’s of course the pain and all that, but the best part for me has been getting our team here this week. Because that’s when there’s no choice, you have to flip the script and get ready for this year,” Scheyer explained. “But everything that’s happened over the course of my career here, but particularly obviously the end of last season, is going to drive me the rest of the way. There’s no doubt about it.”

With Scheyer more motivated than ever and his team potentially being more talented than ever, it will surely be fascinating to see how the Blue Devils fare next college basketball season in his third year since replacing Mike Krzyzewski.