Jon Scheyer opens up on what it means to go undefeated this season at home

Duke finished off an undefeated season at home on Tuesday night with a win over NC State, giving first-year coach Jon Scheyer a special mark to hang his hat on.

Scheyer didn’t try to downplay the accomplishment, either. He knows how big it is to go unbeaten at home.

“It’s really special,” Scheyer said. “This wasn’t something we set out and said we want to do this. You want to win as many games as possible.”

The Duke head coach, though, knows what it’s like to walk into that arena and feel the magic in the air. He went through it as a recruit and then as a player.

“But for me, the first time I ever visited Duke was coming to a Duke game,” Scheyer said. “It was watching Wake Forest, it was 2004, I want to say or 2005. JJ Redick hit 38 and Chris Paul was playing here.

“Since that moment, playing in Cameron has always been a dream of mine. To coach here is the same thing. You want to represent the fans, the students, everybody that’s come here to support.”

Duke will almost certainly be an NCAA Tournament team in a few weeks, largely on the back of that excellent home record. The Blue Devils have lost eight games this season, but none of them have come at home.

That leaves the team in excellent shape as the regular season comes to a close and the conference tournament looms.

But Scheyer wanted to make sure he thanked the fans for all their support. It’s a two-way street when it comes to enjoying the home environment.

“They’ve shown up this year, and in a year of transition that means so much to me, but it means so much to our players,” Scheyer said. “There’s nothing like it. We want Cameron Indoor Stadium to always be the toughest road game in America, so to do that is a special accomplishment for us.”