Jeff Teague definitely doesn’t hold any fondness for Duke, having played college ball across Tobacco Road at Wake Forest before logging 12 years in the NBA. Even though he’s been retired since 2021, he’s stayed involved in the game by coaching at Pike High School in Indianapolis and keeping a presence in basketball media.
But despite where his college loyalties lie, Teague can’t help but be impressed by what Jon Scheyer is building at Duke, essentially continuing right where Mike Krzyzewski left off. Just about everybody including some Duke supporters figured there would be some kind of falloff once Coach K stepped away and Scheyer took over. That simply hasn’t happened.
Duke is still the biggest name in college hoops, and Scheyer keeps putting together teams that compete at the highest level. He hasn’t captured a national championship yet, but it’s starting to look like it’s only a question of when, not if.
Teague thinks he’s got a handle on exactly why Scheyer has been so effective.
According to Teague on the Club 520 Podcast, via Blue Devil Voices on X, Scheyer just connects with his players in a genuine way. Guys who’ve been through the program talk about actually enjoying being around him he’s approachable and straightforward to work with. At the same time, Scheyer brings that newer, younger style of coaching where he can relate on a personal level, step onto the floor and play alongside his guys, demonstrate techniques in real time, and let them see the lessons in action rather than just hearing about them.
And Teague thinks that approach really resonates with today’s players. If they can watch you physically execute what you’re teaching, they’re more likely to buy in. If all you do is talk, that doesn’t carry the same weight anymore they want to see you out there proving it.
For Teague, Scheyer’s relative youth is actually his biggest advantage.
Some might try to spin youth as a negative on the recruiting trail pointing to a lack of experience or a résumé that doesn’t carry the same weight. But Teague sees it differently. At just 38, Scheyer has a natural ability to connect with recruits in a way older coaches sometimes can’t. Plus, as Teague points out, Scheyer can still get on the court and physically demonstrate what he’s teaching. He’s played at the sport’s highest level, competed in those same arenas and those same settings, and worn that same Duke uniform just two decades earlier.
And he’s already accomplished the ultimate college goal they’re all striving for: winning a national title.
Sure, he doesn’t carry the same larger-than-life presence that Coach K did few people ever could. But that whole era of iconic, older coaches is mostly fading out, with K, Roy Williams, Jim Boeheim, Jay Wright, and others all stepping away. College basketball has been shifting toward a younger group of head coaches, and Scheyer is right at the front of that wave.
It’s a new chapter for Duke, but the on-court product still looks a whole lot like what came before it.
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