Any college basketball fan who didn’t have cell service for the past few years wouldn’t recognize the sport’s offseason anymore. With the addition of name, image, and likeness compensation into college athletics, coaches need an entirely new approach with top high-school talent, and increased activity in the transfer portal means getting a five-star prospect in the building is only half the battle.
Duke basketball coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] has only been at the helm of the program since the 2022-23 season, but Mike Krzyzewski’s successor has found ways to adjust to the new era. On a Thursday episode of The Brotherhood Podcast, he recalled a phrase from his former mentor to describe the past few years.
“Coach K would always say this and it’s true, even in my time as an assistant coach with him, there’s different iterations in terms of strategies in how you recruit.”
Scheyer, who won a national championship for Krzyzewski as a player in 2010, first joined the Blue Devils coaching staff back in 2014 before being promoted to associate head coach for the 2018-19 season. He took over for the five-time national champion when Krzyzewski retired after the 2021-22 season.
Even with all of the new factors to consider on the recruiting trail, Scheyer stands in a class of his own. With the addition of Cameron and Cayden Boozer last week, two five-star players from the Class of 2025, the Duke head coach has reeled in more than a dozen five-star players over four recruiting classes. Freshman [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], the presumed No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, is one of the highest-ranked commits in school history.
Scheyer told sophomore guard Caleb Foster, the host of The Brotherhood Podcast, that new tools to use for commitments don’t change the process of deciding who to pursue.
“The thing that hasn’t changed is identifying the right people for Duke,” Scheyer said. “For me, that’s something I’ve prided myself on, our staff prides itself on, is really identifying great talent with great character and competitiveness.”
“To me, the identity of what we’re looking for has not changed at all.”