Duke basketball: Jon Scheyer makes easy choice on team captain

Jon Scheyer made the easy choice on naming the Duke basketball 2022-23 captain. 

Naming team captains can sometimes be a difficult process for a head coach but Jon Scheyer had an easy call naming his first captain as the leader of the Duke basketball program.

Scheyer went with the longest tenured Blue Devil in junior point guard Jeremy Roach.

Roach has been through it all at Duke.

A member of the 2020-21 team that missed the NCAA Tournament and a catalyst in a Final Four run which fell short to North Carolina in the final season under Mike Krzyzewski.

The Leesburg, Virginia native has averaged 8.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game during his two seasons at Duke and was named to the NCAA West Region All-Tournament Team.

“I’ve been watching Duke for a long time, so to be named captain of this program, it means a lot to me,” Roach said in a press release.

“To know that I’m a part of the Brotherhood and to know that my coaches and teammates have the utmost confidence in me to help lead this group is very meaningful.”

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Duke brings in a seven-man recruiting class headlined by five-star recruits Dereck Lively II, Kyle Filipowski, and Dariq Whitehead.

The Blue Devils also have five-star forward Mark Mitchell, four-star guard Jaden Schutt, four-star guard Tyrese Proctor, and three-star center Christian Reeves on its roster this season.

Scheyer added Kale Catchings, Jacob Grandison, and Ryan Young via the transfer portal as sophomore point guard Jaylen Blakes is the only scholarship player, aside from Roach, to return for last season’s squad.

Duke basketball head coach has full confidence in star guard

Jon Scheyer knows what it takes to be a captain of the Duke Blue Devils and he fully trusts the junior point guard to be up for the challenge.

“Jeremy’s had great experience in his time at Duke and he knows what it takes to get to the highest level in guiding us to the Final Four,” Scheyer said in the release.

“He’s the guy we want leading us and we’re proud of him and the strides he’s made in the two-and-a-half years here. He shows up everyday and he’s as hard of a worker as we have. He leads by example, and that’s what’s most important.”

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Duke will begin its season on November 7 against Jacksonville as the schedule gets much more daunting from there with non-conference matchups against Kansas, Oregon State, Florida or Xavier, potentially Gonzaga, Ohio State, and Iowa on the schedule.

“Player-led teams can put us in position to have a successful season, and I know Jeremy is ready for the opportunity,” Scheyer concluded.