NEWARK, N.J. — It was the spring of 2021 and Jon Scheyer was on the precipice of a life-changing job alternative.
However not the best way he anticipated. Not something near what he would develop into.
We all know Scheyer now as the top coach of Duke males’s basketball. It is arduous to see him as anything; it is type of loopy how rapidly he is made {that a} true assertion.
However round 4 years in the past at this very second, Scheyer was ready on two job alternatives, virtually satisfied one in every of them — if not each — would go his manner.
Scheyer, who’s a Chicago native, chased the DePaul job. He interviewed there and beloved his possibilities. However that wasn’t the one one he was eying. This has by no means been publicly revealed till now: Scheyer advised CBS Sports activities he additionally interviewed at UNLV in 2021. He thought he had an actual shot at that one, too. DePaul was intriguing, due to Chicago, however UNLV was the one he and his spouse, Marcelle, received actually enthusiastic about.
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He’d been a seven-year assistant at Duke by that time. Helped this system win a nationwide title as a participant in 2010 and did it once more as one in every of Mike Krzyzewski’s lieutenants on employees in 2015.
It was time. He thought he was prepared. Although nonetheless lots younger (in his early 30s), he was determined to be a head coach.
“It received loopy the final couple weeks,” Scheyer advised CBS Sports activities about that second in time. “I believed I used to be going to be the coach at DePaul.”
The college employed Tony Stubblefield as an alternative. Shortly thereafter, UNLV additionally turned him down, hiring Kevin Kruger. Scheyer was deflated.
Later that spring his life — and Duke’s program — modified endlessly.
“Duke wasn’t even an choice or a actuality then, and to suppose, you miss out on these, after which two months later, you possibly can’t, you possibly can’t even fathom it,” Scheyer mentioned.
He is telling me the story as a chunk of white twine tickles his brow. It is tied across the closure of his 2025 Remaining 4 hat, which Scheyer’s carrying backward. He is leaned in opposition to the wall within the again hallways of the Prudential Middle. Lower than 100 paces away, his crew waits for him to return to the locker room for another celebration earlier than leaving this enviornment — and making ready to go to San Antonio.
At 37, Scheyer has taken Duke to the Remaining 4 and accomplished so in simply his third season on the job. His Duke crew throttled Alabama 85-65 on Saturday evening within the Elite Eight. What was alleged to be a high-level matchup as an alternative changed into a one-sided Duke rout, the newest in a pile of pulverizations this crew has delivered over the previous four-plus months.
What may have been a terrific East Regional remaining between the top-seeded Blue Devils and No. 2 Alabama was as an alternative a laugher. Duke took a 15-5 lead on Bama a bit of greater than 4 minutes into the sport. The Crimson Tide missed 18 of their first 25 photographs. Duke was by no means really threatened.
A recreation faraway from making an NCAA Event-record 25 3-pointers on 51 makes an attempt, Alabama wound up 8-of-32 (25%) from deep. It was taking part in catchup from the get-go, and in that sense, the sport was a bust. The Tide by no means held a lead and by no means put collectively a run. Duke saved Alabama scoreless for greater than 5 minutes within the second half, choking out any hope for a run to make the sport fascinating.
And so, with a Remaining 4 now official, so is that this: We now have one other Nice Duke Staff. This one is 35-3 and two wins away from having a declare as probably the greatest groups in fashionable historical past. At KenPom.com, it at the moment solely charges behind the 1998-99 Duke crew (that was surprised within the nationwide remaining in opposition to UConn) as probably the most statistically environment friendly of the previous 28 years.
When Krzyzewski determined in 2021 that Scheyer ought to be the one to succeed him in 2022, the choice got here as one thing of a shock. They’d go for practically a yr to deal with the transition. Krzyzewski’s farewell tour additionally acquired criticism consequently.
“I knew it was going to be arduous,” Scheyer mentioned of being given this job. “I feel it is tougher than I may have imagined. I feel a very powerful relationship for me was being actually related with Coach Ok.”
Reality is, ever since Scheyer received the gig he is made one of many hardest assignments look entry-level in its lack of issue. Following a legend is infamously one of the crucial tough issues to do in sports activities. Most fail. Some do nicely sufficient whereas nonetheless falling lots wanting the usual set by whichever all-time nice preceded them.
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“Knew he had it, I knew he was particular,” Duke assistant Chris Carrawell advised CBS Sports activities on the courtroom because the crew reduce down the web. “He is grown a lot this yr, so pleased with him and what he needed to undergo. There is a studying curve since you take over for the best coach of all time, and it is not straightforward.”
Scheyer positive makes it look straightforward, although. The 18th Remaining 4 in Duke historical past occurred with one of many strongest four-game struts ever at this blue blood energy. Duke is thrashing groups on this event by a mean of 23.5 factors.
“X’s and O’s, he had that from the start, however his management has taken over,” Carrawell added. “It is the toughest factor ever as a result of it is a lot strain. They criticize all the things you do, each transfer you make.”
Even probably the most optimistic of Duke followers could not have anticipated this. Scheyer has made the sophisticated appear seamless. He does it with a down-to-earth contact that permeates all through this system. He is lots completely different than Krzyzewski, who burned on a aggressive edge that made him legendary — but in addition not straightforward to work for. A change in persona was precisely what Duke wanted.
Duke by no means fell off underneath Scheyer; now it is two wins away from a sixth nationwide championship.
“It begins with one thing that any nice relationship has, human to human, individual to individual, coach to participant: a relationship begins with honesty,” Cooper Flagg advised CBS Sports activities. “By no means hiding something, telling me what I needed to listen to, however simply giving me the reality and nothing however the reality.”
Scheyer was intentional about this roster and the way it wanted to be constructed after struggling an enormous letdown within the Elite Eight a season in the past. He didn’t waver on his imaginative and prescient. When different colleges with freshmen in outstanding roles have been shedding, Scheyer caught to his philosophy. There have been particular gamers with particular skillsets he coveted. The employees’s checklist of switch targets was not lengthy. He introduced in guys from Tulane, Purdue and Syracuse — none of them related, style-wise — to mesh with one of many strongest recruiting courses in Duke historical past, led by Flagg and flanked by Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach.
“That is what drew me to him within the first place,” Flagg mentioned of Scheyer’s communication abilities. “How we constructed the bottom of our relationship, and since then, it is simply been straightforward. I needed him to teach me as arduous as he can.”
Mentioned Knueppel: “Usually, coaches are all the time kissing your ass. He is all the time had super-honest and uncooked conversations.”
Duke’s protection was large Saturday, holding Alabama greater than 26 factors underneath its season common going into the evening (91.4), the 65 factors amounting to the second-fewest the Tide scored this season. All-American Mark Sears, who in his earlier day trip sank 10 3-pointers and scored 35 factors, did not make his first basket till 2:16 remained within the first half. He completed with six factors on 12 photographs, a brutal finale to an in any other case large faculty profession.
That is the Duke impact. That is Scheyer’s doing.
“Cooper would run by means of a brick wall for that man,” Kelly Flagg, Cooper’s mom, advised CBS Sports activities. “I am type of gushing, clearly, however John actually is the best.”
This crew is a machine. It has probably the greatest one-and-done gamers ever in Flagg, but in addition a switchable freak in Maluach who, with a 9-foot-8 standing attain, is a carnival of terror in all places on the ground.
“What John is about is constructing a relationship that’s constructed on belief and respect,” Kelly Flagg mentioned. “Cooper is a child that desires to play for any individual who he trusts and who he respects, and it is a mutual factor. John would not berate his gamers. He would not belittle them, however they’re taking part in for him as nicely. They love him, and so they belief him, and so they wish to play as arduous as they will.”
Duke hasn’t fully modified the best way it does issues, however the shift has been noticeable sufficient that the modernization within the day-to-day has enabled this system to not fall behind. One instance amongst many to select from: Scheyer employed Rachel Baker, a former Nike affiliate who was well-regarded within the recruiting house, to be his common supervisor. He did this earlier than most different packages made house for such a place. She’s been a pillar inside the program, similar to Carrawell, fellow assistant Emanuel Dildy and lots of extra.
By way of all of it, Scheyer’s focus has all the time been in regards to the gamers, to a degree most coaches his senior cannot sustain with. Scheyer admits to being a notoriously unhealthy sleeper. He’s by no means not obtainable for his crew. That devotion pays off with guys who will purchase in, nearly no questions requested, and reap the rewards like what this crew’s accomplished.
“He acts like he is a participant,” Knueppel advised CBS Sports activities. “He actually understands us, particularly with practising when our physique’s possibly not feeling nice, he can really feel it, he understands that. But additionally on a degree of what it takes to be a participant at Duke, and the aggressive edge you need to have to achieve success. He actually embodies that nicely, and in a manner that it is not overbearing and horrible, like some coaches, however he has his personal manner of doing that and being a super-good dude.”
Scheyer is overseeing a squad that’s barely fascinated by making video games aggressive. The perfect praise I may give this crew is it is as loaded and lethal as any that performed underneath Coach Ok. However that is completely different. It feels completely different. Duke has develop into one thing else.
“We have needed to pivot as a program,” Scheyer advised me. “The timing of it was actually the time the place you could not do issues the identical. And so in some methods, it was nice timing, after which it made me actually be true to who I’m, quicker.”
He is been aided by befriending fellow coaches of their 30s: Joe Mazzulla with the Celtics, Will Hardy with the Jazz and Marcus Freeman with Notre Dame. Saturday evening was the 89th win of Scheyer’s profession, tying him with Brad Stevens and Brad Underwood for probably the most wins to begin a profession by means of the primary three seasons. It could be at the very least 90 now if not for the loss to NC State a yr in the past within the Elite Eight. That one lingered with him. Bothered him. Duke was the higher crew, however not on that day. It deserved to lose. Would he have a crew, in-built his picture, along with his convictions, deserving of atoning? Most of those gamers weren’t with this system a yr in the past. However all of them purchased in.
Scheyer known as Krzyzewski on Friday afternoon, simply to the touch base and discuss, nicely, he did not wish to reveal an excessive amount of of what the dialog was about. However Scheyer did inform me Krzyzewski advised him this: “Do not take with no consideration being within the Elite Eight. It isn’t straightforward to get there. If you’re there, you wish to reap the benefits of it.”
Krzyzewski adopted up with a textual content a pair hours earlier than tip-off on Saturday.
“That meant lots. I am fortunate to nonetheless have my coach,” he mentioned of the 78-year-old Krzyzewski. “That is distinctive. It wasn’t in regards to the recreation plan. It was about me and him, which was a particular factor.”
Understanding what we do now, it is clear Krzyzewski’s public succession plan finest arrange Duke, and Scheyer, to maintain this system atop the game. Seeing Duke throttle Alabama on Saturday evening was the final end result wanted to verify that the suitable man, in the suitable manner, was picked for the suitable job.
Given the burden of the Duke job, this might have gone poorly with nearly anybody else. However not like his earlier job interviews, Scheyer did not are available second.
DePaul and UNLV have since made different hirings. Scheyer wasn’t obtainable the second time round.
