Jon Scheyer

Former Duke All-American and two-time team captain Jon Scheyer was named the 20th head coach in Duke University's storied basketball history on June 4, 2021. He succeeded Hall of Fame head coach Mike Krzyzewski, who announced in June 2021 his plan to retire following the 2021-22 season.

Scheyer, who enters his second season as head coach in 2023-24, has vast experience on the Duke bench, having served on Krzyzewski’s staff since the 2013-14 season. His previous roles with the Blue Devils include special assistant, assistant coach and the previous three years as associate head coach.

The 35-year-old Scheyer was among the youngest head coaches in Division-I men’s basketball, and the youngest at a power conference institution, at the time of his hire. He was named to The Athletic’s 40 Under 40 in college sports in 2022 and was previously touted as one of the best assistant coaches in college basketball.

Leading the Blue Devils to a 27-9 mark in his first season, Duke captured the ACC Tournament title and went undefeated at home as Scheyer became the first coach in the conference’s storied history to post an undefeated home record in a debut season and the first to lead a team to an ACC title as both a player (2009, 2010) and as a head coach (2023).

He is just the fourth major conference coach all-time to win 27 or more games at age 50 or younger in a debut season and the first to do so at 35 or younger. In Division I history, only seven other coaches younger than 35 years old have won more games in a debut season.

Playing its best basketball as the season progressed, Scheyer’s first squad carried a nine-game winning streak into the program’s 45th NCAA Tournament, the fourth longest winning streak entering the NCAA Tournament in program history. The Blue Devils stretched the winning streak to 11 with a dominant first-round win.

Overcoming a season plagued by injuries and with one of the nation’s youngest teams that returned just one starter from the 2022 Final Four run, Scheyer’s squad was 19-1 with its full roster available. With an emphasis on defense and rebounding, the Blue Devils ranked top-20 in nearly every rebounding statistic and were top 30 defensively.

Scheyer was named a finalist for the Joe B. Hall Coach of the Year Award, presented annually to the best first-year coach in college basketball.

In his 14 seasons as player and coach at Duke, Scheyer has been part of two National Championships (2010, 2015), three Final Fours (2010, 2015, 2023), five ACC Tournament crowns (2009, 2010, 2017, 2019, 2023), while averaging 27.6 wins per season with a winning percentage of .780 (387-109).

The Northbrook, Ill., native has been integral in the recruiting and development of several young Duke stars since joining the staff. In accepting Duke’s head-coaching position a year before taking the helm, Scheyer was able to fully recruit the nation's No. 1-ranked freshman class for the 2022-23 campaign -- highlighted by the top two-ranked players -- Dereck Lively II and Dariq Whitehead. The 2023-24 class is projected to be top-two in the nation.

Duke has finished top three in ESPN.com’s class recruiting rankings every season with Scheyer on the staff, including the No. 1 class five times (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022).

A total of 26 Duke players have been drafted, including 20 first-rounders, with Scheyer on the staff, highlighted by overall No. 1 selections Zion Williamson in 2019 and Paolo Banchero in 2022. Williamson was the consensus National Player of the Year in 2019, while Banchero was an All-American an ACC Rookie of the Year in 2022.

Williamson and Banchero join six other Scheyer-coached Blue Devils to be named ACC Rookie of the Year, including Kyle Filipowski this past season – Scheyer’s first commitment in the 2022-23 class, who chose to wear the No. 30 in honor of his first-year head coach.

Scheyer helped mentor Tyus Jones to Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors and an NBA first-round pick in 2015. Five years later, Tyus’ brother Tre was named both the ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year after a remarkable 2020 campaign.

Tre is one of 11 to earn All-America recognition with Scheyer on staff – a list that also includes Quinn Cook, Grayson Allen, Luke Kennard, RJ Barrett, Williamson and Banchero.

Allen finished his remarkable four-year career in 2018 as the 12th-leading scorer in Duke history with 1,996 points and joined Scheyer as two of just five Blue Devils in history with 1,900 or more points, 400 or more rebounds and 400 or more assists (Grant Hill, Danny Ferry, Johnny Dawkins).

As a player, Scheyer was one of the most versatile and reliable Blue Devils all-time, concluding his career as the only player in school history to record at least 2,000 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists, 250 three-point field goals and 200 steals. He averaged 14.4 points per game while scoring in double figures 114 times (sixth-most in Duke history) and leading the Blue Devils to a 115-29 (.799) record.

A two-time team captain, Scheyer scored 2,077-career points and still ranks 10th on Duke’s all-time scoring list. He ranks third in Duke history in free throws made (608), fourth in free throw percentage (.861; 10th in ACC history) and three-point field goals made (297; 13th in ACC history) and sixth in free throw attempts (706). He played in 144 consecutive games, tied for the second-longest streak in Duke history, while his 4,459 minutes played rank fourth in ACC history.

As a senior in 2010, Scheyer averaged 18.2 points, 4.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game from the point guard position to spark Duke to a 35-5 record and its fourth national championship. He was a consensus second-team All-American and a first-team All-ACC pick in his final season after starting all 40 contests and scoring in double figures in all but two games on the year. His 1,470 minutes played as a senior remains the ACC single-season record.

Scheyer was named MVP of the ACC Tournament as a junior in 2009, averaging 21.7 points and 4.0 rebounds as Duke took home the title.

He was a McDonald’s and Parade All-American as a senior at Glenbrook North High School in 2006. Already recognized as an elite scorer, his legend grew when he scored 21 points in 75 seconds at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament as a senior. He closed his career as the fourth-leading scorer in Illinois high school basketball history with 3,034 points. He is the only player in Illinois history to rank in the state’s career top 10 in points, assists and steals.

A two-time Gatorade Illinois Player of the Year, Scheyer was named to the 100 Legends of Illinois Basketball in 2007.

Following his graduation from Duke in 2010, Scheyer played professionally with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the NBA D League and overseas with Maccabi Tel Aviv and Gran Canaria.

Scheyer married his wife Marcelle in May 2017. The couple have three young children, a girl named Noa (born January 2018), and boys Jett (August 2019) and James (May 2022).

Taking an active role in the Durham community, he and Marcelle began the Scheyer Kid Captain program in 2022-23. The program provides a connection between the Duke Basketball program and the life-saving work performed daily at Duke Children’s – one of the nation’s leading children’s hospitals – by inviting a patient and family from Duke Children’s to spend a gameday with the team, attend practice and sit behind the bench.