After Coach K spoke glowingly of Jon Scheyer yesterday, it was Scheyer’s turn to address the media. He addressed the media via press conference on Friday for the first time since being named the successor to Coach K. Below are quotes from his presser.
Some of his introductory remarks:
“Coach talked yesterday about the power of belief, and I wont take a moment for granted the belief you have put in me. I am incredibly grateful and so thankful for this opportunity.”
“I am incredibly thankful for all the people who have supported and helped me on my journey to get to this point.”
“Coach, I am so thankful to you and Mickie. When I was 16 years old you came to my high school and laid out a vision for me. It went beyond just playing basketball here…you told me I was meant to do something special…I have enjoyed every second that I have been here as a player and as a coach playing for you. Your family has treated me like family. I love you all.”
“I know all three of us (Scheyer, Smith, Carrawell) cannot wait to make this last year for Coach an incredible one.”
“I do not expect this to be easy… I do not expect to be given anything…but I am always going to show up and do whatever it takes to succeed at the highest level here and with the standard that has been set at Duke. It is a privilege and an honor to do that…I relish this opportunity…we are going to be relentless in our pursuit of championships.”
“My main goal right now is to be the best assistant coach I can and to have an amazing year this year.”
The press conference then shifted to a Q and A session:
On if he has thought about what it will be like next year with Coach K still present:
“It is no secret the amazing success Coach has had here….following him is incredible because of the foundation that has been laid. I know there is going to be expectations that come with that…one of the best pieces of advice Coach K has ever given me is to follow my instincts fully. That is what I am going to do. I am secure in who I am….I feel excited about it and feel it is an incredible advantage to have him here.”
On what will be the most important things to him over the next year:
“I plan on taking advantage of the amazing opportunity that these 10 months present….I think it gives clarity. Clarity is helpful…now there is clarity for the team. Now we can focus on the task at hand which is to win the whole damn thing this year and to have the best season we possibly can….I plan on having lots of conversations with everyone here, understanding how they view things….I feel confident in my vison but am also going to look to others to help in that regard.”
On what the moment was like when he realized he will be the next Duke head coach:
“When I got a call and saw Nina King’s name pop up, it was the best phone call I have ever received in my life…it was the best news I could have ever received….I was speechless…what a surreal moment….I will never forget that in my life.”
On how he saw his career moving on after his playing career ended and if he ever saw himself coaching:
“I always wanted to be a coach…I always had a love for college basketball…my aspiration was to have a long NBA career and then get into college coaching….sometimes life works out differently than you think. In retrospect, that was the best thing that ever happened to me…to be in this position now is beyond a blessing. Coaching is an incredible passion of mine and always has been.”
On how he will balance being the future head coach of Duke while currently being associate head coach from a recruiting perspective:
“It is going to be a great challenge but I think it is a great opportunity…Nolan, Chris, and myself will be on the road a lot (recruiting)…Duke is an incredible place with a lot to offer…its a unique situation and I think we can really take advantage of it. There are some great kids out there who are really interested…its our job to find the right ones and get them here and meet in person. That has always been really important to us, developing a relationship.”
On a lesson he has taken from Coach K on an in-game adjustment:
I think the thing you can’t pick up from watching coach on TV or from afar is the feel he has in huddles…one example is the ’14-’15 season playing UNC at home, down by 7 with a minute and half to go…he pulled in all of our players and said ‘we are going to win this game’…we went out and tied the game and won in overtime…thats an example of the feel…when Cam Reddish hit a game winning three down in Florida State….it was a crazy sequence…we called a timeout and coach drew up about three different plays….on the third and final play he said ‘here is what is going to happen’….what he said was going to happen is exactly what happend…those are the special moments that have been fun to watch.”
On the continutiy and familiarity of his hiring:
“I think it is an amazing opportunity (to grow together) with Nina and myself, we have had many conversations about the timing of this…Coach from day one has told me the two most imporant relationships are with your Athletic Director and with your President….I plan on doing everything I can to follow their lead and their direction…Nolan and I had the amazing experience of playing together for three years…we have been through a lot togther…to go through this with both Chris and Nolan gives me a great deal of confidence… there are not two other guys I would rather do this with than Chris and Nolan.”
On what he wants his legacy to be:
“I have not even gone that far, I have tried to take it all in and be in the moment…I would like to think that everyone who knows me well knows I show up every day. You can depend on me every single day.”
On what it will be like following Coach K and knowing how high expectations are:
“I know my history, I understand….with that said, I am not afraid of it…I think (this succession) is built for success…the thing I am not going to pay attention to is what other people consider success…I am anxious for the opportunity to show what we can do, but I am not going to pay attention to the outside noise.”
On taking over during the changing college landscape:
“We have been fortuante to have to adapt throughout the time I have been here….I think it is changing for the better…I think Duke is in the best position to move forward in this new landscape…the right kids will still want to come to Duke…building a team where we have a balance with stability…that has been a great recipe for us…Duke is in an amazing position to move forward successfully.”
On what his strategy will be to attract recruits to Duke:
“For Chris, Nolan, and myself, as former players, we are incredibly protective over who comes into our program…we have been here from multiple perspectives…I think that brings a level of credibility…I don’t have the luxury to show who I am as a head coach this year (yet), it boils down to trust and belief…I look forward to earning that trust.”
I kept telling all my Duke friends that you would be the next coach. The reason I knew was because you are so intelligent. I know we will clap ntil our hands bleed when Coach K leaves the court for the last time, but it will not be because we do not hve faith in you. You are going to be great!!!!!!!!!
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