Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer did not win the ACC Coach of the Year award despite getting his program to a 19-1 record in the conference and earning the ACC regular season title. Instead, the award went to first-year Louisville coach Pat Kelsey. Whether the award going to Kelsey was justified or not, Scheyer should absolutely win the National Coach of the Year award based off of the success he led his Blue Devils to even after freshman phenom Cooper Flagg went down with injury.
In Duke's ACC Tournament quarterfinals game against Georgia Tech, Flagg went down with an ankle sprain and missed the remainder of the conference tournament. Although the injury wasn't as serious as originally feared, Scheyer wasted no time saying Flagg will not play for the remainder of the tournament.
"I would have to be convinced by everybody in the locker room when I go back there that he should play," Scheyer said after Flagg's injury and his potential status. "It's not worth it. It just isn't,"
Flagg is averaging 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game this season, leading the Blue Devils in all five major statistical categories. He's been the ring leader on both sides of the floor for the program all year.
Yet even without his freshman phenom, Scheyer still delivered success to his team, leading the group to an ACC Tournament title and a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Duke took down a feisty North Carolina team in the semifinals and the 2-seeded Louisville Cardinals in the ACC Tournament final, all without his best player.
Scheyer has also dealt with injuries to key contributors Tyrese Proctor and Maliq Brown throughout the season, yet still delivers success at every corner.
The Blue Devils won their last 11 games of the season heading into the NCAA Tournament. Duke also ended the season with the highest point differential of any power conference team since the 1998-99 season, won 10 ACC games by 25 points or more this season which is the most all-time, and boast the highest adjusted offensive rating by an ACC team over the last 30 years. These are just a few of the accolades that Scheyer has delivered with his team this season.
Even though Duke came into the season with high expectations being ranked #7 in the preseason AP Poll and having the #1-ranked 2025 recruiting class, Scheyer literally couldn't have done any better. Duke won the ACC regular season title, won the ACC Tournament title, and is ranked the #1 team in the nation coming into the NCAA Tournament.
Scheyer isn't the favorite to win it right now, but he absolutely deserves to. The constant success he's brought to the Duke program this season, with jumps and hurdles along the way, proves he's one of the best coaches in the entire sport, and he deserves to be named the best coach in college basketball this season.