Less than one month after leading Duke to an NCAA title, Jon Scheyer is eager to share his good fortune.
A departing senior guard from the Blue Devils' team that defeated Butler 61-59 in the NCAA championship game in Indianapolis, Scheyer will play host today for the kickoff event for a charitable organization he's forming with the help of his sister.
"I'm in a great position to have some people know me and hopefully people look up to me where I'm able to do some things for others," he said of the newly formed Jon Scheyer Foundation. "That's why when my sister brought up the idea about a foundation, I jumped on it right away."
Brooke Scheyer, Jon's older sister, formerly worked in the community relations department for the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago Blackhawks. She left in September to start a business called Brightest Star Foundations to help athletes and other high-profile clients manage their charitable efforts.
Her brother is her first client, although she said she expects to announce more clients soon. Their first venture is a video game tournament called May Madness Gaming to Give and will run from noon to 5 p.m. today at Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Entrants will compete in Halo 3 and FIFA 2010 Xbox tournaments. There will be live music by Nautical Young, Speak of the Devil and Point Break.
Scheyer's teammates from the championship team will be there to sign autographs. General admission is $10 at the door. Duke students can get in for $5, and children under age 12 get in free.
"We just wanted to really get a lot of students together, and of course any kids that want to come, too," Scheyer said.
While in high school, he read to children in elementary schools in the area around his hometown of Northbrook, Ill.
When Brooke visited Jon at Duke during the basketball season, he took her with him to the Duke Children's Hospital. He had been struggling a bit on the court, and the visit provided some perspective, he said.
"Whenever you go to a children's hospital and see how brave these kids are, it's unbelievable," Jon said, "and hopefully being able to give them a little extra strength, a little extra boost, that's all I try to do."
Being the leading scorer on the NCAA championship team and appearing on the cover of the April 12 issue of Sports Illustrated also give Scheyer some name recognition on which he can capitalize as he attempts to collect money for charity.
This first event will benefit the Emily K community center in Durham and The V Foundation for cancer research. In the future, Scheyer said he also wants to help the Brandon Dann Rothstein Memorial Foundation in honor of a family friend who died at age 21 and Northwestern Memorial Hospital, which successfully treated both his grandmothers for cancer.
His sister hopes to help him and other high-profile clients establish foundations that run smoothly and effectively. She plans to work with lawyers and accountants to set up foundations so they're managed and financed well.
She wants to set up websites, reach out to sponsors and run events for her clients' foundations. She said watching her brother has helped her understand the hurdles athletes face as they attempt to share their good fortune.
"Athletes face a lot in terms of pressure and schedules and people, and they're held to a different standard," she said. "I thought I could relate to that and help solve a problem, so that's what I'm doing."
The extent of Jon's contributions may hinge on how much success he has as a professional basketball player.
Mock drafts on NBAdraft.net and DraftExpress.com don't list Scheyer as a first- or second-round pick in the upcoming draft. But he does have some attractive skills.
"He does one thing extremely well - shoot," said collegebasketballnews.com draft analyst Chris Monter.
Monter said Scheyer has helped himself the past two seasons at Duke by playing point guard, demonstrating that he's more versatile than he appeared coming out of Glenbrook North High.
Nonetheless, there are still questions about his athleticism and ability to defend strong, quick wing players. Scheyer said he has heard since he was in high school that he isn't athletic enough, and he's not worried about it.
"Whether I go in the late first round or the second round or go undrafted, that's not my main concern," Scheyer said. "My main concern is to go out there and be who I am, and I feel really confident that it's going to work out playing in the NBA if I do that."
With his foundation just getting off the ground, he also has something larger than himself to play for.
"I've always been involved, whether it be with my high school or here, trying to give back," he said. "... Especially with my sister doing all these foundations, it's only fitting that I joined in with her."
