Signed by the Miami Heat after Duke’s national championship season in 2010, Jon Scheyer’s pro basketball career was cut short when he was poked in the eye during a summer league game.
He told a Duke audience in October 2023 that the incident taught him the value of having supportive people in your life.
“And there was a defining moment in my life,” he said, noting he was set to be teammates with LeBron James before the accident. “It’s a very lonely moment, but the thing that kept it together for me was the amazing support that I had from my family.”
Thankfully for Duke, the injury led the Northbrook, Illinois, native back to Duke as an assistant coach alongside Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski, from 2013-2022, which included another national championship in 2015.
Scheyer took over as head coach for the 2022-2023 season, and the program is in good hands, according to someone who should know.
“I’ve said many times that Jon Scheyer is one of the smartest coaches in the country,” Coach K said. “Jon is a rising star in the profession and Duke could not be in better hands moving forward.”
In his first year, Scheyer led the Blue Devils to a 27-9 record, won the ACC Tournament title and became the first coach in ACC history to post an undefeated home record in a debut season. He’s also the first to lead a team to an ACC title as both a player (2009, 2010) and as a head coach (2023).
With the stats Scheyer amassed as both a player and coach at Duke, it’s little wonder Nina King, vice president and director of Duke Athletics, describes him this way:
“Simply put, Jon Scheyer is Duke.”
