It's been a few days since Duke basketball's soul-shattering collapse against Houston in the Final Four. Now, with the college basketball season over and a few days for the program and its fans to process the loss, Jon Scheyer and the rest of his staff are now looking at 2025-26.
Scheyer is a class act coach, always showing respect and taking accountability when necessary. And he made sure to let the student body know that he appreciated everything they did for the program this season.
After the Duke basketball team returned to Durham after the Final Four defeat, Scheyer talked to a group of Duke students, telling them how special the 2024-25 season was for Duke basketball, even if it ended a little earlier than hoped.
The Duke head coach was holding back tears as he spoke.
"The fact that you guys are here is incredible. And you know, I'm heartbroken for our guys. And, you know, they've given us a special season. You guys have given us a special season with all of your support. And the thing that I've learned is we're chasing something special, you know, we're trying to be the last team standing. And, you know, we had 35 wins, ACC Championships, and all this. In order to get to that, you put yourself in a position where you can get your heart broken. And unfortunately, that comes with pursuing a championship and pursuing something special."
"For you guys, the seniors especially, just being on this journey with us, it's been really a three-year evolution of this team that we have and the job that they've done. Even yesterday, they played their hearts out. We just didn't execute the way we needed to to finish it off. But just, for you guys, I just want to thank you."
Scheyer was met with "thank you's" and a round of applause after his statement of appreciation to the Duke students who came out and supported the team all season.
“I’m heartbroken for the guys… this was our first loss fully healthy since November”
— Zion O. (@DukeNBA) April 8, 2025
Scheyer nearly tears up talking about his squad
(via IG/espresso_em_) pic.twitter.com/SGsyr6qLTU
There aren't many coaches who would take the time like Scheyer did to let the students know that he and the rest of the program appreciate them sticking with the team all season. He's a class act of a coach and a guy Duke is really lucky to have at the helm for years to come.