Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer discusses 'different' Blue Devils on podcast

It took nearly 80 days, but Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer finally made an appearance on the Brotherhood Podcast.

The weekly podcast is hosted by Blue Devil center Ryan Young and includes interviews with former and current Duke players and coaches. Ahead of his second year as the Blue Devils’ leader, Scheyer joined the show as Young’s latest guest.

Listeners can find the episode on Spotify and iTunes or watch the video version on Duke’s YouTube channel. Here are five highlights from the interview.

What Duke basketball's Jon Scheyer remembers about his first year, first game

It’ll likely be the answer to a trivia question down the road, but Scheyer’s first game as Duke’s head coach was Nov. 7, 2022, against Jacksonville at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils earned a 27-point victory and went on to win 27 games, including an ACC Tournament championship.

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“I just remember the excitement that I had. I was really excited for us to start the journey,” Scheyer said.

“I’ve walked out of that tunnel hundreds of times as a player, as a coach. It’s different coming out last. It’s up to you. You’re the one talking in the huddle pregame. You want to make sure our team is ready to go, but I also felt really confident. Our team was ready to play last year. It was an exciting time of not assuming anything is gonna happen.”

Blue Devils bring back plenty of experience

For the first time since 1986, Duke is returning its top four leading scorers. Kyle Filipowski, Jeremy Roach, Tyrese Proctor and Mark Mitchell are back to lead the Blue Devils.

“We’re older, but relative to other teams, we’re still young. … I love the fact that we have (almost) everybody back,” Scheyer said.

But, Scheyer added, “it doesn’t mean we’re entitled to win anything. You can’t assume, you can’t be comfortable, you can’t just think it’s gonna happen.”

How will Duke basketball look different this season?

Despite returning most of its production from last season, Duke will look a bit different this season. Four highly-touted freshmen join the mix and Scheyer sees this squad being able to do a variety of things.

“We can really throw some different (pitches). … Lineups are still up in the air, but we are gonna play faster. I think our skill and shooting stands out to me,” he said.

Defensively, Scheyer feels the Devils are capable of “pressuring the ball” more. “Versatility,” he added, is “the main word” that comes to mind when he thinks about this group.

Duke’s scheduling philosophy

Duke’s nonconference schedule includes games against Arizona, Arkansas, Baylor and Michigan State. Scheyer isn’t sure how the ACC adding Cal, Stanford and SMU will affect scheduling in the future, but the Blue Devils will continue to have a “really difficult” slate.

“Our schedule will need to continue to evolve. … It’s all about these quads now – Quad 1, Quad 2. For us, you know playing a team like Arizona, they’re gonna be a Quad 1 game,” Scheyer said.

“Having opportunities to play on the road early is really important. … The versatility of our scheduling is key and also to be aggressive. I want us to play early and often in some big-time games where we get tested.”

Scheyer’s thoughts on conference realignment, the ACC’s future

With Cal, Stanford and SMU set to join the ACC in 2024, the league will have 18 teams entering the 2024-25 season.

“I’ve learned to expect the unexpected. You have to constantly be prepared for anything,” Scheyer said. “I think the three new teams coming in is a great thing for our league. For anybody who says we shouldn’t have had those teams coming in, staying still is not the answer. We need to be proactive.”

But even as the landscape continues to shift, Scheyer is certain of one constant: “I do know Duke basketball is in a great position moving forward . … I’m gonna try to be present – here and now – where things are at.”

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke basketball: Jon Scheyer discusses 'different' Blue Devils