Is Duke basketball’s Jon Scheyer the coach of the year? There’s a strong case for it
March is here, Duke basketball is No. 1 in the analytics metrics, and the Blue Devils are poised to enter the postseason ranked No. 1 in the AP poll.
Isn’t this what Mike Krzyzewski had in mind, back in 2021, when he laid out a succession plan in which Jon Scheyer, worked alongside him for a season, knowing the job would be his in spring 2022?
Yes. This. Exactly.
In his third season coaching the Blue Devils, Scheyer has led them to a 27-3 overall record and a sparkling 18-1 record in ACC play.
Ken Pomeroy’s analytics show Duke as the nation’s No. 1 team. The NET, which the NCAA uses to assess teams when it picks the tournament bracket, also has the Blue Devils No. 1.
If Duke beats rival North Carolina on Saturday night at Chapel Hill, the No. 2 Blue Devils are likely to move to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 since this week’s No. 1 team, Auburn, lost, 83-72, at Texas A&M on Tuesday night.
So has Scheyer done the best job of any coach in the ACC this season? Is he worthy of national coach of the year honors?
Remember, Scheyer tore his roster apart last spring, after the Blue Devils went 27-9 for the second consecutive season. Their season ended one win shy of the Final Four, in a stinging loss to N.C. State in the South Regional final.
Duke had the nation’s top recruiting class coming in, led by Cooper Flagg, but also including two other players who are now projected as NBA Draft first-round picks in Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach.
But having talent like that isn’t everything. Ask Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell, who has freshmen Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper on his team this season. They are projected as NBA Draft Lottery picks too, right behind Flagg. Yet the Scarlet Knights are 14-16.
Scheyer wanted more.
He wanted age, and he wanted height. Three transfers, 6-9 junior Maliq Brown, 6-6 graduate student Sion James and 6-6 graduate student Mason Gillis arrived via the transfer portal.
“Jon did a really good job of roster construction,” Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said Monday, after Duke hammered his Demon Deacons, 93-60. “There’s the thing; you can’t just go sign a bunch of players that don’t fit.”
Those three transfers brought experience and ability. They also brought the mindset Scheyer and his staff needed. Brown didn’t even quiz them during his visit about his role. He just wanted to play for this team at this time.
The Big Ten sixth man of the year while helping Purdue reach the NCAA Tournament final last season, Gillis has played in 28 games (missing only two games due to illness). He’s helped this team come together and stay together and sees the same in his teammates.
“Just being able to be selfless and come in every single day and help the next person get better,” Gillis said. “That’s how you go through a season. Just taking it day by day. Can’t really look two days ahead. You got to come in every single day, do your job. And y’all have seen what that looks like right now.”
James became an important voice in the locker room and a player who forced his way into the starting lineup with his play. He’s averaging 8.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while making 52.8% of his shots, including 42.3% of his 3-pointers.
Of course, none of those really matter.
“Sion James is probably the biggest example of a guy that understands roster construction,” Forbes said. “He doesn’t need the ball. He runs the team. He looks like an NFL linebacker. He makes open shots. He’s a really good role player.
“That’s a credit to Jon, for not just signing really good players, but putting a really complete roster together that makes sense.”
Louisville’s Pat Kelsey is just as strong a candidate for ACC coach of the year. The Cardinals were the ACC’s worst team over the past two seasons, including an 8-24 overall record and a 3-17 mark in the ACC last season.
Kelsey took over from the fired Kenny Payne last spring and overhauled his roster, too. The Cardinals (24-6, 17-2 ACC) are just behind Duke in the ACC standings.
That’s an outstanding coaching job.
But Scheyer’s job is worthy of recognition, too, given the regular season is about to end with Duke among the nation’s best teams.