Is there any month in sports better than March?
As the calendar flips and we move deeper into the month, there is only one thing on the sports world’s mind: the NCAA tournament. This year’s March Madness is shaping up to be especially exciting with a field that appears truly open. While there may not be a clear No. 1 favorite, is there ever really one in March? A handful of teams have still managed to separate themselves from the pack.
Programs such as Duke, Michigan, Arizona, Florida, and UConn all possess many of the ingredients that champions typically have. They are loaded with talent, they have experience, and they have navigated the long grind of the regular season. If the right breaks fall their way, any of these teams could find themselves cutting down the nets in Indy.
When fans and analysts discuss potential champions, the conversation usually focuses on roster talent, star players, or matchups. However, there is another factor that often receives less attention but can be just as important. That factor is the experience of the most important person not on the court.
How seasoned is your team’s head coach when the pressure ramps up in March? How comfortable are they making adjustments on the fly? Can they design a late game play when their team desperately needs a basket?
These questions should absolutely be part of the equation when filling out a bracket. Many of the top teams in this year’s field can answer them confidently. If your favorite team cannot, that could become a problem once the tournament reaches its most intense moments.
One program that checks those boxes as well as anyone is the Duke Blue Devils, led by head coach Jon Scheyer.
A Coach Who Has Already Been There
Scheyer’s experience in March did not begin when he took over on the sidelines. In his first three seasons as Duke’s head coach following the retirement of the legendary Mike Krzyzewski, Scheyer has already built an impressive résumé. During that span he has won two conference tournaments and guided Duke to a Final Four appearance.
Yet Scheyer’s understanding of March runs even deeper than that.
Part of the reason he was chosen as Coach K’s successor was his familiarity with the program and the lofty expectations tied to it. Scheyer was not simply a former player. He was a national champion and a key contributor on one of Duke’s most memorable teams.
In his final collegiate season, Scheyer helped lead the Blue Devils to the 2010 national championship. That accomplishment alone would make him a respected voice in the locker room. But what many people may not realize is just how productive Scheyer was as a player during that run.
One of the Most Underrated Seasons in College Basketball History
Saying that Jon Scheyer was “pretty good” at basketball would be a massive understatement.
During the 2009-2010 season, Scheyer posted one of the most statistically impressive campaigns in recent college basketball history. According to the advanced metric known as Win Shares, Scheyer’s senior season ranks among the most impactful individual seasons ever recorded.
In fact, Scheyer’s total placed him 16th all time for a single season in men’s college basketball. That puts him directly ahead of players such as David West, Kemba Walker, and Blake Griffin.
Even more impressive, Scheyer’s season sits less than half of a Win Share behind Steph Curry’s legendary 2008-2009 campaign and Anthony Davis’s dominant freshman season at Kentucky.
For those unfamiliar with the metric, Win Shares attempts to estimate how many team wins can be attributed to a specific player. The stat is divided into offensive and defensive components, giving a more complete picture of a player’s impact.
Put simply, Jon Scheyer contributed to winning at an extraordinary level during his senior year.
The Season That Elevated Scheyer
Before his final season in Durham, Scheyer had already established himself as one of Duke’s most reliable players. Across his first three years with the Blue Devils, he averaged roughly 13 points, three rebounds, and five assists per game while shooting 38% from three point range on roughly five attempts per night.
Those numbers are solid for any college player. But during his senior season, Scheyer elevated his game to another level entirely.
In 2009-2010, he set career highs in scoring with 18 points per game while continuing to average five assists. He also increased his minutes and three point production while becoming one of the most efficient players in the conference.
That season, Scheyer led the ACC in three point percentage, free throw percentage, total three pointers made, and total points scored.
Saving His Best for March
Where Scheyer truly shined, however, was when the stakes were highest.
In the final three games of his collegiate career, the Elite Eight, Final Four, and National Championship, Scheyer delivered some of his best performances of the season. Facing Baylor, West Virginia, and Butler, he averaged 19 points, four rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game while contributing two combined steals and blocks per contest.
Perhaps most impressive was his efficiency. During that three game stretch he shot 45.8 percent from three point range while attempting eight threes per game. His effective field goal percentage sat at an outstanding .608.
Scheyer capped his career by helping Duke defeat Brad Stevens’ plucky Butler team in the national championship game, securing the program’s fourth title.
A Player Ahead of His Time
Part of what made Scheyer so valuable was his willingness to shoot from beyond the arc in an era when the three point shot was still not fully embraced.
Outside of a few players like Steph Curry, most teams had not yet built their offenses around perimeter shooting. Scheyer’s ability to stretch the floor and knock down threes consistently created valuable spacing for Duke’s offense.
In many ways, he represented a bridge between two eras of basketball. While he was not necessarily the player who sparked the three point revolution, his style of play reflected the direction the sport was heading.
His efficiency and long range shooting ability made him a uniquely valuable piece for Duke during that championship season.
Experience That Translates to the Bench
Now, as Duke pursues its sixth national championship and its first since Coach K’s retirement, Scheyer’s experience as both a player and coach could prove invaluable.
Having lived through the pressure of deep tournament runs, he understands the intensity of March in a way that few coaches his age can match. That perspective may help him guide Duke’s young and talented roster through the chaos that defines the NCAA tournament.
Scheyer is still early in his coaching career, but his résumé is already impressive. Combine that experience with his strong recruiting ability, and it feels increasingly likely that it will only be a matter of time before he adds a national championship as a head coach to the one he earned as a player.
If the man who produced one of the most impactful seasons in college basketball history is leading your program, chances are you are in pretty good shape.
And this March, Duke just might be again.
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