In his 1st year as Duke head coach, Jon Scheyer’s roots are on full display

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uke had gone through the scouting report, and head coach Mike Krzyzewski had given his emotional speeches. But before the team could go to bed before its 2010 Final Four game against West Virginia, there was a team meeting.

Everyone had heard enough from Krzyzewski — and he knew that — so it was time for a player to stand up. Senior guard Jon Scheyer did. “Coach, we got this,” Scheyer said. “We’re ready to go.”

The players left. Krzyzewski turned to his staff. “I love it when he does that,” he said.

Duke crushed West Virginia by 21. Two days later, the Blue Devils won their fourth national championship. Scheyer and Krzyzewski stood side-by-side on the podium, the coach’s right hand on the guard’s shoulder. Twelve years later, with Krzyzewski’s 42-year career at Duke officially concluding, he passed the torch to Scheyer.

Scheyer, 35, is the youngest head coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference, 43 years younger than Jim Boeheim, who Scheyer will coach against for the first time on Saturday in the JMA Wireless Dome. Everyone still knows Scheyer’s name, just as they did when he starred at Duke from 2006-10 and just as his hometown did when he led his high school to its first state championship. Those close to Scheyer say he’s always had the makings of a coach, with his competitive yet calm nature driving him to success.

Krzyzewski knew when he recruited Scheyer that he was the guy Duke needed, said Chris Spatola, Duke’s former Director of Basketball Operations. Krzyzewski told Spatola about a player from Chicago who played on an “underwhelming” team.

That player was Scheyer, who had been electrifying Northbrook, Illinois for years. Scheyer scored 40-plus points numerous times. As a senior, he once notched 21 in the final 75 seconds against Proviso West (Illinois). Scheyer’s Glenbrook North team had been getting blown out in front of Krzyzewski, but Scheyer’s one-man barrage nearly secured a comeback.

Scheyer’s competitiveness stands out the most. Justin Weiner, who has known Scheyer since they were 1-year-old, said he’s never beaten Scheyer in anything — including FIFA, Mario Kart or Wii Golf video games, or even pool basketball games in his backyard.

“It really doesn’t matter the sport. Jon is probably the most competitive human being I know,” Weiner said. “If he didn’t win a game, you had to play another one.”

After finishing third in the state tournament as a freshman, Scheyer realized he had to get stronger. He got aggressive in the weight room, and left his house early on Saturday mornings to get extra shots up.

As Scheyer developed and Glenbrook North won the state championship his junior year, his celebrity status grew. Everyone in the town of roughly 48,000 people talked about the team, and wanted Scheyer’s autographs or pictures with him, Wallis said. At times, Scheyer even had to be escorted into the school by a security team, Weiner said.

“Growing up, he was almost larger than life,” Weiner said.

Scheyer’s games attracted such big crowds that fans had to arrive at least an hour before to secure a seat, said Glenbrook restaurant owner Pete Weiss. “It was the biggest ticket in town,” Weiss added. Wallis’ coach at Washington University later told him he’d never had to park so far from a gym while trying to attend a high school game.

This year at Duke, Scheyer has coached in front of plenty of sellout crowds. On Saturday, over 30,000 fans are expected inside the Dome.

“That honestly kind of translates a lot into what he’s going through now,” Wallis said. “It’s situations like he was in his whole life that have also prepared him for this.”

But Weiss said the hype never affected Scheyer. Four years ago, Weiss traveled to Durham, North Carolina, to watch No. 1 Duke play No. 3 UNC. He talked with Scheyer before the game, and saw that he wasn’t affected by the buildup to the game — which saw Zion Williamson burst his shoe with President Barack Obama in attendance.

Scheyer was around 10 years old when Weiss first met him. Scheyer, Weiner and Wallis all played youth baseball across the street from Weiss’ Little Louie’s restaurant, and would come in for food after games.

By the time Scheyer was in high school, Weiss noticed that Scheyer ordered the same thing: a steak sandwich with grilled onion, lettuce, tomato, avocado, french dressing and a side of teriyaki. So, Weiss put the sandwich on the menu, dubbed “The Scheyer.”

“Jon always felt he just felt like he could come to Louie’s and not be bothered and he could just be him,” Weiss said. “But yeah, the sandwich is super popular.”

Today, Louie’s walls are filled with some of Scheyer’s biggest accomplishments. A Sports Illustrated front page displaying Duke’s 2010 national championship has Scheyer’s signature, along with an accompanying note: “To Little Louie’s — Thanks for never doubting me!”

Scheyer knew he wanted to be a coach since before Duke, or even high school. At 10 years old, he drafted fake rosters, schedules and stats of college teams in notebooks, he said at his introductory press conference. Wallis recalled times when Scheyer would watch film from previous games on his parents’ handheld camcorder while driving to games. In practices, Scheyer was never afraid to challenge teammates and made sure they got in extra work on the weekends, Weiner said.

“It’s always been in his blood,” Weiner said of Scheyer becoming a coach.

That continued in Durham, where Spatola said Scheyer was an extension of Krzyzewski. Scheyer’s IQ of game situations stood out when Duke ran its sets, Spatola said. There were several moments in Scheyer’s senior year when the Blue Devils would be in a close game and he’d take over the huddle, just like he did before the West Virginia game. Scheyer had a calming presence, but could also yell at teammates if needed.

“He was an extension of the coaching staff on the floor,” Spatola said. “He was just one of those guys who really got it.”

When Krzyzewski played for Bob Knight at Army, he understood what his head coach needed in certain moments of practices or games, said Spatola, Krzyzewski’s son in law. Scheyer was similar. He wasn’t just an extra coach on the floor, but had an emotional connection with Krzyzewski as a player. During Spatola’s five years with Duke, he said no other player had a closer relationship with Krzyzewski than Scheyer.

Scheyer’s playing career ended in 2013. Krzyzewski’s message to his former player was simple: “It’s time.” He wanted Scheyer to come back and be part of his staff, which Scheyer did for eight years.

When Krzyzewski decided he would retire at the end of last season, his tight relationship with Scheyer carried into the decision of who would replace him. Scheyer and his wife FaceTimed Wallis to share the news when they found out Scheyer got the job. Wallis wasn’t shocked. He had known Scheyer — and his abilities — for so long, having played together from third grade through the end of high school, and following his career ever since.

Back home near Little Louie’s, every kid in the neighborhood is wearing Scheyer’s Duke jersey, Weiss said. Scheyer’s ascension to arguably the biggest job in college basketball has made the whole town proud, and his childhood friends have traveled — from Durham to Indianapolis to Miami — to see him coach.

Yet still, 26 games into his first season, it hasn’t sunk in that Scheyer is Duke’s head coach, Weiner said. But when watching Duke in November in the Champions Classic, Weiner realized something that didn’t surprise him.

“He looks like he belongs,” Weiner said. “There’s never been a point in his life that I’ve seen where I said to myself, ‘you know, I think he’s not meant for this situation.’”

It’s always been, “Yeah, he belongs.”

Courtesy of Sydney Lester | Duke Chronicle