Jon Scheyer reveals where he would have gone if he didn't choose Duke

Jon Scheyer had other options if he didn’t choose Duke when he played college basketball back in the day.

In the end, it came down to his relationship with Mike Krzyzewski and what his future looked like, based on Coach K’s vision. But man, the college basketball timeline could vastly different if Scheyer went to a different school.

The current Duke head coach told fellow Duke alum and ESPN analyst Jay Bilas the story.

“It was down to Duke, Illinois and Arizona,” Scheyer said on The Brotherhood Podcast. “Arizona when they were recruiting me they actually did a practice at my high school … But, Illinois was right there. Dave Weber was my high school coach, brother with Bruce Weber, who’s a terrific coach. But just, I had a special connection to Duke, Coach K, with Coach Collins.

“And I felt like his vision for me was deeper than just basketball. He didn’t say I would be doing this or this is what was gonna happen. But I thought he felt something special was in my future and I definitely made the right choice.”

Scheyer is entering his third season as the Duke head coach and everyone in Durham is thankful to have him at the helm. The 2024-2025 season is setting up to be his best one yet, with a lot of high expectations surrounding the program. 

True freshman Cooper Flagg carries a lot of them after what was a busy offseason of roster building for Scheyer. On a related note, Scheyer also revealed what he’d be doing if weren’t a basketball coach.

“I think I would be a high school history teacher,” Scheyer said. “I’ve always loved history, any kind of history. I thought I was going to be playing in the NBA until I was 38. Retire and just teach and coach at a high school. That age, college age — it’s always something I’ve been passionate about.”

On3’s James Fletcher ranks Duke as the No. 5 team in his way-too-early top 25 rankings, the highest in the ACC.

“The No. 1 recruiting class belongs to Duke and Jon Scheyer,” Fletcher said. “Top-ranked recruit Cooper Flagg is joined by a talented group on the way in, plus a clear transfer portal plan to build out with veterans and potential wing options. Rice transfer Cameron Sheffield is the latest depth piece.”