Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer reflects on his first season leading the Blue Devils

A newly earned banner hanging low behind him before it finds its new home in Cameron Indoor Stadium’s rafters, Jon Scheyer strode to a dais to sum up his first season as Duke’s head coach.

The banner, commemorating the ACC championship the Blue Devils won in Greensboro last month, gave Scheyer reason to have extra pep in his step.

“But for me what these guys did is,” Scheyer said during the team’s season-ending banquet, “they laid the foundation for what’s to come. They said Duke’s not going anywhere, man. Duke’s not going anywhere.”

Scheyer took over as Duke’s head coach one year ago this month, as had been planned when Mike Krzyzewski announced his plan to retire following the 2021-22 season. He led Duke to a 29-7 season and became the first person in ACC history to win ACC tournament championships as a player and a coach.

Transformed from a famed playing venue into a banquet hall for a night, Cameron Indoor Stadium housed Thursday night’s banquet.

Krzyzewski and his wife, Mickie, were seated at a table directly in front of the podium, near Scheyer’s parents. When Scheyer mentioned his name, the audience erupted with cheers that halted Scheyer’s speech.

“I invited him to come and sit at my table, which I thought was a great gesture,” Scheyer said. “But his name is still on the court. I think he knows he can come here whenever he wants.”

Scheyer and the Blue Devils proved the program is still capable of achieving great things, even without the Hall of Famer on the sideline.

“I’m extraordinarily grateful to Jon, for you and your leadership,” Duke president Vince Price said during his remarks. “The last time I was speaking at this podium, we were celebrating the extraordinary Coach K. What a transition this has been. Seamless from strength to strength. An extraordinary, extraordinary season. We cannot wait for what the future has to bring.”

A big part of that future, 7-foot center Kyle Filipowski shared the team’s most valuable player award with 6-2 guard Jeremy Roach. After leading Duke in scoring and rebounding, Filipowski is returning for his sophomore season rather than start a pro career.

Roach has declared for the NBA Draft while retaining the right to return for his senior season if he withdraws from the draft pool by May 31.

Regardless of Roach’s decision, two other starters from last season’s team — 6-8 forward Mark Mitchell and 6-5 point guard Tyrese Proctor — are returning for their sophomore seasons, giving Scheyer a strong foundation for next season’s team.

Proctor originally was scheduled to join Duke as a freshman for the 2023-24 season. But last May, Scheyer called the Australian to inquire about having him join the Blue Devils a year early.

“Hell yeah,” Scheyer said Proctor told him at the time.

Fast forward to two weeks ago, when Proctor and Scheyer were discussing the player’s plans for next season. He had the option of turning professional, like his freshmen classmates Dereck Lively and Dariq Whitehead.

But Scheyer got a different vibe from Proctor.

“He was explaining his thought process to me,” Scheyer said, “and he basically was talking like he wanted to come back. So, I said, ‘You coming back?’ He said, ‘Hell yeah.’”

Scheyer is well on his way to having another talented team for next season, one that should continue to build on Duke’s recent positive trend.

“I just want everybody in this room to know what an honor it is every single day to wake up and be your coach,” Scheyer said. “I’m proud of each and every one of you guys. Thank you for taking the chance to come here for us. We’ve been through a lot together and we’re not stopping now.”