Jon Scheyer could have left Duke for the NBA, but he decided to stay in Durham. There are many reasons why he remains. Among them include getting to coach at his alma mater, raising his family in The Triangle, and having a boss he can trust in Duke athletic director Nina King. She has been in and around the athletic department for the better part of two decades now. Stability has created success.
Meanwhile, Dusty May left Michigan for the same Dallas Mavericks job that Scheyer was supposedly in the running for. He may be developing a bit of a reputation as a job-hopper, but May did not have the same type of boss as Scheyer does in King. Warde Manuel has a bad habit of losing coaches to other teams after they guided the Wolverines to the national semifinals. May was the latest to walk.
James T. Yoder put it bluntly: Manuel has been at Michigan for 10 years, but has lost six elite coaches.
Warde Manuel has been Michigan AD for 10 years
— James T. Yoder (@JamesYoder) June 22, 2026
In just football, basketball, hockey and baseball - he lost 6 head coaches who made the Final Four in their sport
Wild
King has had her fair share of big decisions to make at Durham. At every step of the way, she has passed every challenge with flying colors. Hiring Scheyer from within seemed obvious at the time, but it has obviously worked out. Hiring Mike Elko to replace David Cutcliffe was not easy, but he did great in his two years at Duke. Replacing him with Manny Diaz was a smart decision that keeps working out.
Under King's guidance, Duke is the reigning ACC Champion in football, men's basketball, and women's basketball. Having her in his corner makes things easier for Scheyer. He is being afforded the opportunity to replace a legend, who just so happens to be his mentor... This type of pressure would eat most good coaches alive. Scheyer seems to be thriving in it. He is starting to find himself.
While May was an elite coach for Michigan, the toxicity festering in Ann Arbor was too much for him.
Jon Scheyer has the right boss for him to achieve all his dreams at Duke
There may come a time when Scheyer may want to scratch that NBA itch. Coach K never did, but he had Team USA basketball to help him ward off temptation. Scheyer is green enough in his coaching career that anything is possible. However, it does serve him to win at least one national title at Duke before heading off to the association. He owes it to the team, the university, and of course, himself.
As long as Scheyer and King maintain a healthy working relationship, the sky is the limit for this dynamic Duke duo. Seeing other programs outside of the men's basketball team having success on the field of play should give Scheyer even more confidence to stay. The vibes are high in Durham right now. Why would he want to leave basketball paradise? Nothing gold can stay, but what if it can?
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There are jobs across college athletics where they largely run themselves. Duke men's basketball is one of them. As is the case with Ohio State football, when have the Blue Devils ever been bad? Since Coach K came over from Army in 1980, it has been mostly smooth sailing in Durham on the college hardwood. Scheyer knows this, King knows this, and so does everyone associated with the program.
Once again, Duke fans, coaches, and players should be thanking their lucky stars over how good they have it at athletic director. There are few people in college sports as attentive and as respected as King is in her field. When you hear her name mentioned, it is almost always positive. The same thing cannot be said for Manuel at Michigan. He has his well-deserved critics. No wonder May up and left.
If May had been in Scheyer's shoes, there was no shot he was going to leave Duke for the Mavericks.
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