Pressure Mounts on Duke as Coach K’s Shadow Not Too Big for Thriving Jon Scheyer

More than a decade back, on April 2013, Jon Scheyer joined the coaching staff as a special assistant to Mike Krzyzewski. After eight years into the job, Coach K handed over the reins of Duke basketball to his successor. Naturally, there was skepticism; after all, replacing the legendary coach isn’t an easy feat. But the current Blue Devils HC, in three seasons, has turned those skeptics into his admirers. But the job is still not done, and even if they win against Arizona, this season won’t be successful, as per a CBS journalist.

Jon Rothstein first gave credit to Jon Scheyer for maintaining Duke’s status as an elite program. “Replacing a legend is one of the hardest things to do in sports. Jon Scheyer has made it look seamless at Duke.” The CBS insider highlighted the past three years’ record: an ACC tournament win and a loss in the second round to Tennessee. Then, they fell just short of the Final Four against NC State. Lastly, this year, the Blue Devils are easily in the second round after a 33-3 season. “But it’s the utmost truth, Jon Scheyer deserves more credit for what he’s done following Mike Krzyzewski at Duke.”

Despite the praise, Rothstein highlighted that failing to meet one condition will make this season a failure. “Anything less than a trip to the Final Four will be a major, major disappointment for Duke.” The answer to this requirement was very simple. “Last year, you went to the Elite 8, and you lost, and this year Duke unequivocally has the best roster in the sport, and it may not be close.” He is not wrong; even KenPom ratings consider the Blue Devils to be favorites as Sweet 16 kicks off.

To further put the pressure, the CBS insider highlighted the squad consisting of “generational talent” and the consensus number 1 NBA pick Cooper Flagg. Not to forget consistent scorers like Kon Knueppel and Tyrese Proctor. With an elite squad at hand, Final-Four becomes a must for the Duke HC.

“Jon Scheyer deserves all the praise for the job he has done in following a legend, but for this Duke team, for this Duke program, for fans of Duke basketball, the season will feel like a disappointment unless you win two more games.”

Jon Scheyer and the road ahead

In order to maintain the legacy of the Blue Devils program, the HC needed to win from the start. And he has done that consistently. The 37-year-old holds the record for the most wins in his first three seasons of any coach in ACC history (82). Apart from this, for most wins in the first three seasons for D-I Head Coach—Underwood and Brad Stevens with 89 and just two short at 87 stands Jon Scheyer.

In the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, Duke cruised through by an average of 33.5 points. It was Tyrese Proctor, who has been red-hot for the Blue Devils, and shot a combined 13-of-16 from 3-point range. For Jon Scheyer, the availability of National Player of the Year candidate Cooper Flagg was a slight doubt before the tournament. The five-star freshman has contributed 16 points in the postseason and played 25.5 minutes on average, which makes him fresh for the clash against the #4 seed Arizona.

The Blue Devils already own a head-to-head win over Arizona this season, having defeated the Wildcats 69-55 in Tucson back on Nov. 22. Flagg led the Blue Devils with 24 points, and Jaden Bradley led the Wildcats with 18 points. Only time will tell if the top seed Duke can withstand the pressure or, like the previous season, falter under it.