When Coach K spoke on Duke HC Jon Scheyer's mindset following his first ACC championship win

The Duke Blue Devils have advanced to the Final Four for the first time under coach Jon Scheyer, after an 85-65 victory over Alabama. The Blue Devils look to the immediate future with hope, and with good reason. Duke has shown resiliency and a lot of that comes down to its head coach, Jon Scheyer.

An example of resiliency was during the 2023 season, when Duke dropped out of the top 25 rankings. Scheyer’s Blue Devils rebounded to win the ACC Tournament and entered the NCAA Tournament in a strong position.

In March 2023, legendary former head coach Mike Krzyzewski shared his thoughts on what Scheyer would be feeling after his first ACC championship win. Here's what he said on Sirius XM:

“John and I have talked about not using the word follow, you know, because he's not following anybody. He's setting his own course. ... He's won as an assistant coach, a national championship and ACC championships, But he was not the leader.

"When you're the leader, and you go up on that stage and you're accepting that trophy. When he did that, I felt chills for him because there’s no feeling like - that is my team. When you're the head coach, you can use that one time, the singular pronoun, my team. Otherwise, it's ours."

In his first season as head coach, Scheyer led Duke to a 27-9 record, won the ACC Tournament title, and became the first coach in ACC history to go undefeated at home in his debut year.

Coach Jon Scheyer on carrying Coach K’s Duke legacy after first Final Four run

Jon Scheyer added another achievement to his coaching resume on Saturday night, guiding Duke to its first Final Four appearance under his leadership.

Reflecting on his journey as a coach and the pressure of following Coach K, Scheyer spoke candidly in the postgame press conference when asked about carrying on the Duke legacy:

“I’ll tell you, for me, a huge thing was having that year, though. For Coach K to be able to have the vision, I don’t know how many coaches genuinely want to see the program succeed when they leave. And for me, I’ve always wanted to make him proud.

"Part of his legacy isn’t just the wins. I want his legacy to be how it continues to be right there as a top program, and that’s something Coach K and I have talked a lot about. ... So obviously there’s a responsibility you feel and a pride." (14:35)

A Final Four appearance marks another milestone in Scheyer's coaching career. He now adds this achievement to his past Final Four appearances as an assistant coach in 2015 and 2022 and as a player in 2010.