Jon Scheyer 'proud' of first season at Duke

Duke‘s season came to an end on Saturday, as they were defeated by Tennessee in the round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament 65-52. The Blue Devils end the season with a 27-9 record and plenty to be proud of in their first season under head coach Jon Scheyer, and after their tournament loss, Scheyer was asked if their success this year amazed him.

“I don’t know if it amazes me, but I’m proud to accomplish what we have,” Scheyer said. “These guys are champions next to me. They’re ACC champions. They have 27 wins. They’ve had a really good year.”

Being tasked with filling the shoes of one of the most iconic figures across all sports in coach Mike Krzyzewski at your own alma mater is not easy, but Scheyer faired well. The Blue Devils had a young roster this season with four of their five starters being freshmen. Throughout the season, they had a handful of freshman moments and mistakes, but that all changed in the middle of February.

Starting on Valentine’s Day Duke would become one of the hottest teams in the country, entering the ACC Tournament with a six-game winning streak that they’d continue to build on, running the table and winning the ACC Tournament.

“I think I speak for all these guys, they can tell you if they feel differently, but we expected to be in this position. That’s what we wanted. That’s why these guys chose to come here,” Scheyer explained. “You want to be in position where you have a chance — we were planning to go to a Sweet 16 against a great team.”

Duke handled business in their first round matchup of the NCAA Tournament, but just couldn’t match the physicality and experience of Tennessee in the second round. The loss served as Duke’s first in over a month, but one that’s still hard to handle nonetheless.

“So it’s hard to reflect fully right now, but I do know I’m proud. I’m grateful to all these guys that they’ve stuck with it and they’ve made the decision to come here and come back and all that, but it hurts in the moment right now,” Scheyer said.

This season may have been Scheyer’s first in the NCAA tournament as a head coach, but his 12th overall between being a player and an assistant coach at Duke. Himself and his freshman will enter the next season with some more experience under their belts, and based on the foundation they built this season, it’s hard not feel hopeful about Duke’s near future.