Jon Scheyer Has Classy Message For Coach K Before Final Four

The Duke Blue Devils are back in the Final Four for the first time since 2022. That was also the final time they made it under former head coach Mike Krzyzewski, who coached his last game in the Final Four against North Carolina.

It's a full circle moment for Duke head coach Jon Scheyer, who won a national title under Krzyzewski at Duke and later coached with him as an assistant.

Duke will take on Houston Saturday for the right to play in the national title game, and Scheyer says he feels comfortable in the moment. 

Coach K will always be a presence and an icon when it comes to Duke basketball, but he's allowed Scheyer to leave his own mark on the program after retiring.

"Coach K has given me amazing room to be myself," Scheyer said on Thursday, per ESPN.

"I think he understands, when he's around, just the gravity and the people looking at him and all that. It's been, like, a beautiful thing, very organic and natural with Coach K and I. The fact [is] we're still tight as could be. 

Scheyer credits Krzyzewski's succession plan for his success, and noted that everyone involved wants what's best for Duke basketball as a whole.

"Not many coaches truly want the program to succeed once they're done," Scheyer said.

"I think part of his legacy forever will be the fact that he set our program up for such success, and we're able to be in a Final Four in Year 3. It's a credit to him and how the succession has gone down."