Jon Scheyer thinks this team could be his best yet defensively

Duke men's basketball head coach Jon Scheyer appeared on a recent episode of College Hoops Today with Jon Rothstein, a podcast hosted by Rothstein, a CBS Sports personality.

After Scheyer talked about the heartbreaking feeling his team felt after the Elite Eight loss to NC State last season, he mentioned his excitement at the potential of this next Duke team to be able to get back there. With practice starting in just about a week, Scheyer gave his initial thoughts on the new group.

"They've been a group that's worked incredibly hard. They've been really connected for having ten of twelve scholarship players who are new, and, you know, the fact that we've had such great connectivity, and, you know, I think every coach this time of year says 'man my team's working hard' but I can really feel it from our group."

Scheyer went on to talk about the size of this team, with the smallest guy being Caleb Foster at 6' 5", and how they can script a new game plan than Scheyer is used to.

"We have great positional size...We have rim protection, but I think we have high IQ players and great versatility, like I mentioned, because of our positional size. We can play a little bit differently this year."

After discussing the makeup of this team made up of transfers along with high-end recruits that might be different from a lot of teams in Duke's past, Rothstein brought up 5-star prospect and projected #1 2025 NBA Draft pick Cooper Flagg, and asked Scheyer how he thinks he will be able to contribute.

"The biggest thing with him is he just competes, right. And, when you're seventeen years old and playing in the highest level of college basketball right away, it makes it a huge adjustment if you don't know how to compete. And, Cooper [Flagg] does that right away. And not to mention, his feel, he's just got great feel. He can play any position, he can guard anybody. And, the thing that I've loved the most is just the humility that he has, Jon, where you're able, not only can you coach him, he wants you to coach him at the highest level."

Rothstein then talked about the transfer class Scheyer brought in with Maliq Brown from Syracuse, Mason Gillis from Purdue, and Sion James from Tulane. Rothstein asked Scheyer how he thinks those guys will blend into the Duke system this season.

"They blend great. And Maliq [Brown], as you know Jon, to lead the ACC in steals while primarily playing the five-position, that's a tough thing to do. And we just love Maliq's defensive versatility, unselfishness. And then you mention Mason Gillis. Well, he's been to where we want to go. And, comes from, obviously Purdue has been as good a program as any in the country, especially over the last few years...And then Sion [James], you know Sion has been such a good get for us, and a good guy from a leadership perspective and also, his body and physicality at the guard position, there's not many guys like him."

Duke returns two of its best backcourt players from a season ago in junior Tyrese Proctor and Foster, which could be the starting backcourt for the Blue Devils unless James earns that spot. Scheyer touched on what it means for the program to be able to bring back two centerfold backcourt pieces.

"Jon, it's a big deal. I think both those guys are going to have big time years. I love the fact we've been through some wars together already. They understand what it takes and how it can go wrong, and how it can go really right. And I've just loved their maturity this offseason with the way they've set the tone with their work ethic. And then just, their attitude on a daily basis of taking whatever we throw at them and being ready for more. I think they're the key to our team, Jon."

Rothstein again went back to the positional size of this year's Duke team and the unique value it brings. He asked Scheyer if he thinks this team can be the best defensive squad he's had so far in his tenure as Duke head coach.

"I do think we have the chance to do that...We've got a long way to go, but we definitely have the making of having the ability to guard the ball, to protect the paint, to cover ground with our size. So, we'll do some things this year that we haven't done before, but, the size on the floor, one through five, is a great strength. I like having it as a coach, and I'm not sure we can do that every year quite to that level, but it's been something that was very intentional on our part this year as we start to get going."

Scheyer has already been to a Sweet Sixteen and an Elite Eight, and the next checkmark on that list is to make it to the Final Four. Rothstein asked Scheyer what he thinks are the biggest keys for this year's team to make it to San Antonio in 2025.

"I think by far the biggest key is we need to get as connected and as together as possible over a thirty, hopefully its forty games you play, but it's plus-thirty games. You need to get really connected as quickly as possible...having role definition, strengths and weaknesses of each other, just being really committed to that and, you know, there's a lot of new. So I think that's our biggest challenge out of the gates. And then..when it gets to tournament time, we're putting a huge priority on playing fast and pushing the ball, but you have to execute in the halfcourt in the tournament."

With one of the more unique teams in recent memory wearing Duke blue this season, it will be one of the most intriguing programs to follow around the world of college basketball. Scheyer and the rest of the staff seem excited to get practice going shortly.