Within the afterglow of a 20-point win within the Elite Eight, earlier than his gamers poured blue and white confetti over him, Jon Scheyer shared a second on the court docket along with his spouse, Marcelle, and certainly one of their youngsters, outfitted with noise-canceling headphones.
In simply three years, he had performed it. Scheyer coached Duke again to the Ultimate 4 — this system’s first since some man named Mike Krzyzewski nonetheless patrolled the sidelines.
The overwhelmingly pro-Duke crowd in New Jersey celebrated not solely a staff with three NBA lottery picks but additionally a coach who has efficiently prolonged the college’s basketball legacy into the present NIL- and portal-driven period.
Hardly ever does a succession plan go off as seamlessly as Krzyzewski to Scheyer.
“Look, as I used to be going via the interview course of, I did my homework,” Scheyer said Saturday night after Duke defeated Alabama 85-65. “Once you take a look at successions, very hardly ever … do individuals succeed following — Coach Okay is certainly one of one, however following a legendary or an awesome coach.”
I lately criticized the apply of legendary coaches hand-picking their successors, however Scheyer is the exception that proves the rule. Right here’s the distinction: Coach Okay named him head coach in ready a full yr forward of time as he launched into his farewell tour.
Scheyer, a Krzyzewski pupil who was the Blue Devils’ affiliate head coach for 4 years, credited that yr of preparation and his boss’s “imaginative and prescient” for planning out the longer term.
“So clearly there’s a duty you are feeling and a satisfaction,” Scheyer mentioned. “However this hasn’t been about outdoors noise for me as a result of it’s simply — I don’t know if you happen to can ever win. So my power has gone into all people that’s in our constructing, our staff, what we are able to management.”
Is Duke’s Cooper Flagg a generational star? Definitely. However Flagg shot 6-for-16 on Saturday night time, at one level lacking eight pictures out of 9. He didn’t will a mediocre staff ahead on his personal.
There was huge enchancment from returning gamers like Tyrese Proctor, who scored 17 factors, and Caleb Foster, who had 5 factors and three assists in key reserve minutes. Each have been a part of Duke’s Elite Eight loss to North Carolina State final March.
“We’ve been via a lot collectively, and I don’t suppose I may put into phrases the feelings that we had collectively,” Proctor mentioned of his coach. “Final yr clearly the way in which it ended wasn’t how we needed. And simply having the belief in him and him placing all his belief in me, simply having the ability to lead these guys has been big.”
The final level is the obvious: The Blue Devils took an Alabama staff that made an NCAA Event-record 25 3-pointers within the earlier spherical vs. BYU and neutralized that assault, permitting simply 8 of 32. They held Alabama scoreless for five:16 down the stretch. Such stringent protection — a power all yr lengthy — is reflective of a well-coached staff.
There’s simply no weak spot right here. We throw that evaluation round lots within the media, nevertheless it’s hardly ever warranted. To get this dominant, the teaching have to be elite, regardless of your blue-blood standing or what number of NBA stars you’ve obtained.
Scheyer reached a Ultimate 4 as a participant at Duke. He made it once more whereas on Krzyzewski’s employees. And subsequent week, he’ll be there as a head coach, deserving each minute of it.
