The Duke basketball team typically has dramatic roster turnover each offseason and while that isn’t necessarily the case this season, it has come to fruition with its coaching staff.
Since the end of the regular season Duke has seen two assistant coaches, Jai Lucas and Will Avery, leave the program as well as its director of sports performance, Will Stephens.
The departures will be something new that Jon Scheyer must navigate this offseason, not only acclimating new people how he wants things run on his coaching staff but then having a smooth transition with those coaches being able to relate to his players on the court.
Scheyer hired Evan Bradds from the Utah Jazz to be an assistant coach in early May while adding former Blue Devil guard Tyler Thornton to the staff to fill Avery’s void. Preston Greene was hired as the team's new strength and conditioning coach.
It will put a major emphasis on Chris Carrawell, Emanuel Dildy, and Justin Robinson to make the transition as smooth as possible for the players on the Duke roster.
Duke has not seen this much movement within its coaching staff since the 2023 offseason, one year after Jon Scheyer became the head coach of the program, after Amile Jefferson left for the Boston Celtics and Avery, Dildy, and Robinson joined the staff.
The Blue Devils are slated to be led by elite incoming freshman Cayden Boozer while Caleb Foster and Isaiah Evans headlined the group of returning players.
Chemistry between the players and coaching staff will be a priority for Jon Scheyer’s team this offseason, both on and off the court, as Duke will be greatly tested early in the season with one of the most daunting non-conference schedules in the country.
Duke begins the season in Charlotte against Texas with games against Kansas, Arkansas, and on the road against Army slated in November with Texas Tech and Michigan State looming in December.