Jon Scheyer shares what he learned in Coach K transition
It’s hard enough to transition from an assistant coach to a head coach, let alone following in the footsteps of one of the greatest coaches of all-time. But that’s exactly what Duke coach Jon Scheyer has done, and he’s already found success.
The Blue Devils tabbed Scheyer to take over for the legendary Mike Krzyzewski prior to last season, which was Coach K’s final with the Blue Devils. In his first year, Scheyer led Duke to an ACC Tournament title and has expectations high as a No. 5 seed heading into the NCAA Tournament.
As he reflected on his journey to this point, Scheyer revealed the biggest lesson he learned as both a player and later in eight seasons as an assistant under Coach K.
“I think you’re wondering, you know, when our players are put in that position, how do they respond?” Scheyer said in a recent interview with ESPN. “But you know, I’ve always prided myself on showing up every day, you know, doing my job and knowing our guys, or anybody in our program, can rely on me to be the best that I need to be. And so, I’m proud of our staff for the attitude that we’ve had, the togetherness to make sure our players feel that way. And I think that’s the biggest thing.
“I learned this from Coach K, but always to take accountability, take responsibility, I should say. You know, you have to be accountable too for, you know, I’ll tell our guys, ‘I called a play, I didn’t like what play I called. That’s on me. You know, I didn’t coach you as well this game.’ And I think that that togetherness, that buy-in both ways, it has to be there.”
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It hasn’t been easy for Duke and Jon Scheyer this season. After beginning the year at No. 7 in the AP poll, the Blue Devils eventually dropped out following a 5-4 start to conference play. However, they appear to be peaking at the right time as they enter the NCAA Tournament on a nine-game winning streak.
Duke advanced to the Final Four last season in Coach K’s final year, and many believe they have the potential to make it back in Scheyer’s first year. Blue Devils alumnus Jay Bilas even predicted them to make the national championship game.
The head coach wasn’t the only change for Duke this offseason, however. This year’s roster is almost completely different, as four of the five starters are freshmen. In fact, Jeremy Roach and Jaylen Blakes are the only key player back from last season’s Final Four appearance.
The Blue Devils draw a matchup Oral Roberts in the first round, with the tip time set for 7:10 p.m. ET on Thursday. As Scheyer begins his first March Madness as a head coach, he’ll hope to use the lessons learned from Coach K to his advantage.