Per Duke Comms:
Duke men’s basketball head coach Jon Scheyer met with the media Tuesday afternoon at Cameron Indoor Stadium, providing an update on the Blue Devils’ offseason to date and officially introducing his coaching staff for the first time.
Scheyer addressed a variety of topics, as Duke’s head coach, who is succeeding Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski, begins initial preparations for his first season in 2022-23. He discussed his priorities in solidifying the roster and his coaching staff, potential changes in how the program will operate in his tenure, while touching on the current state of college basketball, including developments in Name, Image and Likeness and the transfer portal.
“My goal from the beginning was to think about October of 2022, to feel like we’re in a position to pursue a national championship,” said Scheyer. “I think we’re on our way there. We’ve still got some work to do, but I think first and foremost, the thing that I love about the position we’re in is our roster. Getting a guy like Jeremy Roach back is really important. He’s going to be a leader for us [with] what he did in the NCAA Tournament. Joey Baker, Jaylen Blakes – I think the experience of those guys just from this past year will be really important for us.”
At the conclusion of his availability, each member of Scheyer’s staff met with the media, including associate head coach Chris Carrawell, newly-hired assistant coach Jai Lucas, newly-promoted assistant coach Amile Jefferson and newly-hired special assistant to the head coach Mike Schrage.
“It’s the best coaching staff you can have in college basketball,” said Scheyer. “The different perspective that Mike [Schrage] and Jai [Lucas] bring along with Amile [Jefferson] and Chris [Carrawell], with the chemistry and cohesiveness that we’ve developed over this past year, and even more than that, is terrific. I’m really proud of the staff we have.”
Schrage was hired in April after three years as head coach at Elon, while Lucas comes to Duke after serving in a similar capacity at Kentucky. Carrawell enters his fifth year on the staff in 2022-23, including his second as associate head coach. Jefferson spent his first year on the staff this past season as director of player development.
Duke’s incoming freshman class, ranked as the No. 1 class in America by ESPN, 247 Sports and Rivals, is set to be on campus in mid-June, in time for Duke’s summer academic session.
