How Jon Scheyer, Duke basketball handled the response from a rough road trip
DURHAM — Failure can provide some valuable lessons.
For Duke basketball, failure forced the Blue Devils to take some time for self-reflection and make the changes necessary to get back on track.
Following a two-game losing streak and a week-long break, No. 22 Duke returned to Cameron Indoor Stadium and earned an 80-56 win against Charlotte on Saturday.
But it was the week leading up to the victory against the 49ers (5-4) that could help the Blue Devils (6-3, 0-1 ACC) build momentum before a nonconference game against No. 6 Baylor on Dec. 20 and ACC play in January.
“For us, this week was about getting back to work — blocking out anything else outside of our locker room, taking accountability for what we all have to do better,” Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said.
“I thought we had the best week of practice we’ve had so far this year.”
Scheyer went on to say “preparation always leads to confidence,” something he saw in bulk from his team Saturday.
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An increase in defensive intensity powered an offensive performance in which Duke assisted on 63% of its baskets.
“For us, this does give us the blueprint for what we have to do moving forward,” Scheyer said of the balance.
He's hopeful past failures will lead to future success.
“I feel bad for any player in the country, but especially our guys, where it’s like they’re not allowed to fail or not allowed to have an off game. It’s not like they’re trying to have an off game. It’s learning what it takes,” Scheyer said.
“We’re better today, because we went through what we did last week. We are, I promise you, 100 percent. That doesn’t mean I’m OK with the two losses. That doesn't mean I’m happy with what happened. I want to be better without having to go through something. But, for this team, there’s a reason we went through this at the start of the year. It’s been challenging and telling. … We’re far from being done.”
Here’s what Duke’s top scorers on Saturday — Jeremy Roach, Jared McCain and Jaylen Blakes — had to say about Duke's response to a rough road trip.
Jeremy Roach setting the tone
A senior captain for the Blue Devils, Roach has averaged 19.5 points on 52% shooting in the past four games. He had 18 points against Charlotte, but he wasn’t pleased with his leadership against Arkansas and Georgia Tech.
“If I come out here and set the tone, we’re a totally different team,” Roach said. “If I come out here … just not playing as hard as I should, I think that’s why we kind of dropped off in those two games.”
Once the team returned from its road trip, Roach said his message centered around “playing tougher and playing harder.”
“I feel like we weren’t playing hard out there,” he said. “Everybody was playing harder than us, they were out-rebounding us. … I think we were playing weak. We just had to come back and regroup.”
Jared McCain’s shooting
Freshman guard Jared McCain might be as famous for TikTok as he is for basketball, but McCain hasn’t been on social media this season. McCain leaves that job to his brother while he focuses on being his best for the Blue Devils.
After shooting 23.5% with 11 points in the losses at Arkansas and Georgia Tech, McCain bounced back with a career-high 21 points against Charlotte.
“Right when we got back, obviously, we’re pissed,” McCain said. “We wanted to get those games back. … This week was just about building on our habits. Toughness and offense, just sharing the ball. This week was emphasizing all of that.”
Jaylen Blakes brings ‘winning energy’
After playing 21 minutes combined in the past three games, Jaylen Blakes had 15 points in 21 minutes against Charlotte. Blakes was more focused on his energy and effort.
“At the end of the day, winning is the most important thing. That’s my job, is just to continue to be a constant winner, bring winning energy and bring toughness,” Blakes said.
The road losses, Blakes added, “can either make or break us.” He was pleased with the response after an intense week of practice and preparation.
“For us, it kind of brought us together and we had a collective energy where we needed to make a statement,” Blakes said. “Two games don’t define us, but we have a lot of our season left and this is gonna help build our momentum.”
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: What Duke basketball learned from a rough road trip
