It still feels surreal and likely will for quite some time, but next season is the final season for Coach K. With his departure, it is fair, if not natural, to have some degree of concern about what will happen next with the program. After all, this is the greatest coach of all time we are talking about. No longer having him on the sidelines after next season is a massive loss for Duke.
Fortunately for Duke Basketball, there is a replacement in waiting who is perfectly equipped to take on the challenge of replacing Coach K, and fully prepared to maintain the standard of excellence at Duke.
Nina King said it best moments before Scheyer’s press conference on Friday – “Jon Scheyer is Duke.”
He has been in the Duke program for all but two of the last 15 years. He has won a championship both as a player and coach. He knows the ins and outs of the Duke program. He understands the level of expectations associated with the program. He understands being in the forefront of the national spotlight. Nothing about being the head coach at Duke will surprise Jon Scheyer – he has seen it all first hand over the last decade plus. Scheyer embodies Duke Basketball.
Duke is extremely fortunate to have someone as intertwined with the program as Scheyer stepping in and taking control. The transition to Jon Scheyer at the helm could not possibily feel any more natural.
While fully embodying Duke Basketball is a terrific foundation to have and is invaluable in terms of making the transition work, that alone is not enough to guarantee success. It is a massive bonus to have, but is not the full recipe. Scheyer must be able to coach and recruit at a high level for Duke to maintain its position as a college basketball powerhouse. Fortunately for Duke, there is already plenty of evidence that suggests Jon Scheyer is going to excel in these areas.
When it comes to recruiting, Jon Scheyer has already proven to be one of the best in the country. Here is who Jon Scheyer has brought to Duke as the lead recruiter:
Paolo Banchero, AJ Griffin, Trevor Keels, Jalen Johnson, Jeremy Roach, DJ Steward, Mark Williams, Vernon Carey, Matthew Hurt, Cam Reddish, Zion Williamson, Joey Baker, Jayson Tatum, Frank Jackson, Luke Kennard.
That is quite an impressive list, featuring blue-chip reruit after blue-chip recruit. Of course, it is easier to recruit when Coach K is the final selling point. Moving forward, the promise of being able to play for the greatest coach of all time can no longer be used as a selling point. However, that does not discredit how impressive what Jon Scheyer has done on the recruiting trail has been. It is undeniable that Scheyer excels in building relationships with recruits, something he stated is extremely important to him in his intoductory press conference. He is highly personable and recruits feel the passion he has for Duke. It is safe to assume Jon Scheyer is going to continue to tear up the recruiting trail.
Jon Scheyer lacks head coaching experience, but his peers have taken notice of how impressive he has been as an assistant. In a survey from August of 2020 where assistant coaches were asked to rank the best assistant coaches in their conference, Scheyer was voted as the 4th best assistant coach in the ACC by his peers. He has also been on several lists as one of the best assistant coaches in the country.
Above all else, the reason that should inspire the most belief as to why Jon Scheyer will be successful as the head coach at Duke? Coach K chose him.
During his press conference on Thursday, Coach K called Scheyer “one of the smartest coaches in the country.” Recieving that kind of praise from arguably the greatest basketball mind of all time should be enough to make anyone believe in Scheyer’s coaching acumen. But it is not just Coach K’s words that demonstrate a belief in Scheyer, it is his actions. The fact Coach K is comfortable handing over the reigns of the program he has spent the last four decades heading says a lot about Jon Scheyer. Coach K would not be comfortable just handing over the program to anybody. By hand selecting Jon Scheyer as the guy to lead Duke into the next era, Coach K has demonsrated the ultimate faith in Scheyer.
The last fifteen years for Jon Scheyer have been leading up to this moment. He has been able to pick the brain of Coach K without interruption for over a decade. What better way to replace a living legend than after having been able to obtain invaluable coaching lessons from him for several years? Jon Scheyer is fully prepared for this moment.
Duke is about to embark on a new, exciting journey and Jon Scheyer is the perfect choice to direct this journey. Duke will continue to maintain its rightful place at the top of the college basketball mountain, thanks in large part to Jon Scheyer. This has been years in the making. The time is now.