Tag: The Brotherhood Podcast

Jon Scheyer wants Duke basketball to play ‘relentless’ defense in 2024-25

When Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer was asked to describe the Blue Devils’ defensive mindset for 2024-25, he used one word.

When Jon Scheyer appeared on The Brotherhood Podcast on Thursday, sophomore guard (and host) Caleb Foster asked him a pretty simple question.

“Can you talk about the defensive scheme you’re hoping to see from us?”

Scheyer, entering his third year as the Duke basketball coach after last year’s run to the Elite Eight, first took a moment to share his high expectations for Foster’s second season (“See you be a monster on that end of the floor, that’s what I want to see”). After that, however, Scheyer gave a more team-wide response.

“You know what? I want us to just be relentless,” Scheyer told Foster. “Protecting our paint and not giving up second-chance points and dominating the boards.”

With every player in the main rotation standing at least 6-foot-5, Scheyer emphasized that he wants the members of his backcourt like Foster and junior Tyrese Proctor to crash the boards.

Foster and Proctor averaged 5.4 rebounds between them in 2023-24, and according to KenPom, the Blue Devils only gave up an offensive rebound on 25.9% of their defensive possessions last season. Only three ACC teams (North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Wake Forest) gave up second chances at a lower rate.

That vision of rebounding prowess came to fruition in Saturday’s exhibition against Lincoln. Duke grabbed 47 boards to the Lions’ 31 thanks to six from Tulane transfer Sion James and five from freshman Kon Knueppel, two new members of the backcourt. Khaman Maluach, the 7-foot-2 freshman center, came away with 11 rebounds, and Proctor grabbed three in just 21 minutes.

Lincoln shot just 41.1% from the floor and 20% from 3-point range, and the Blue Devils finished with six blocks and 12 steals as a team.

Duke basketball freshman Isaiah Evans says he chose Duke so he could push himself

Every five-star commit has their reason for choosing the Blue Devils, and Isaiah Evans explained his on The Brotherhood Podcast last week.

There’s no wrong reason for a five-star prospect to choose the Duke Blue Devils. After all, the program’s resources, national prominence, and five championships speak for themselves.

However, when five-star freshman [autotag]Isaiah Evans[/autotag] appeared on The Brotherhood Podcast last week, he came up with an entirely different answer for his choice.

The North Carolina native wanted to be challenged.

“It was just a personal thing,” Evans told sophomore teammate Caleb Foster. “Obviously, people were just telling me how good I was, and everywhere I was going, I was more or less just dominating…I wanted to go somewhere where it was like, ‘I’m really going to have to push myself.'”

Dominant would be an appropriate word for Evans’ senior year at North Mecklenburg High School. He averaged 27.5 points per game en route to a MaxPreps First Team All-American nomination and his second consecutive year as North Carolina Mr. Basketball. The Charlotte Observer even named him the best player from the area in the last four decades.

Duke basketball fans get their first look at Evans during the Countdown to Craziness on October 4.

Cooper Flagg talks about guarding LeBron James and his experience with Team USA Basketball

Cooper Flagg spoke about his time with Team USA Basketball in a Tuesday episode of The Brotherhood Podcast, including one moment with LeBron James.

In case you don’t remember, [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] played against the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team earlier this month.

Flagg didn’t just play against Team USA, either. He went viral multiple times for some impressive moments during scrimmages, most notably when he scored consecutive baskets during a dominant 30-second stretch.

Fans who followed from afar would be forgiven for thinking Flagg wasn’t nervous as he played alongside names like [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag], Joel Embiid, and Kevin Durant.

During a Tuesday episode of The Brotherhood Podcast, however, Flagg said his first day with the Select Team included some nerves. One player in particular got a reaction out of the incoming freshman: LeBron James.

“I was guarding Bron in the corner and it kind of just hit me for a second,” Flagg said. “And I had to snap out of it.”

Once the scrimmages started going, however, the game simply became basketball again for Flagg.

“I’ve talked to people about that before,” Flagg said. “Most of the players that can really perform at a high level, once the tip goes up, it all goes away.”

Flagg certainly impressed the NBA stars he shared the court with during Olympic training camp. Durant notably said he played like a veteran.

“He looks like a hell of a player,” Durant said at the time. “Somebody who is only going to get better with more experience.”

Cooper Flagg describes himself as ‘versatile’, someone who does ‘all of the little things’

During a Tuesday episode of The Brotherhood Podcast, Cooper Flagg gave Blue Devils fans a breakdown on his own game.

A lot of basketball fans have weighed in on [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] this offseason.

NBA scouts thought he might be the best player on the USA Select Team during Olympic training camp. NBA stars like Kevin Durant see his potential. Sports anchors and analysts think he’ll run the college basketball world.

But how does Flagg see himself?

During a Tuesday episode of The Brotherhood Podcast, the top-ranked freshman in the country sat down with sophomore teammate Caleb Foster and broke down exactly that.

“I’m pretty versatile,” Flagg said. “Two-way player. I like to take pride in playing defense, getting rebounds. Doing all of the little things, really. But then also, offensively, I can do a lot, too.”

Flagg described himself as a three-level scorer, a scary thought for the 6-foot-9 prospect whose defense shines on tape. During Montverde’s undefeated 2023-24 season his senior year, Flagg averaged 2.7 blocks per game while also dishing 3.8 assists.

Check out Flagg’s answer and the rest of his half-hour Brotherhood appearance below.

Duke basketball teases some big upcoming guests for The Brotherhood Podcast

The Blue Devils shared some photos through social media on Thursday to get fans excited for future episodes of the team’s podcast.

The Brotherhood Podcast, a Duke basketball production that lets current and former Blue Devils talk about themselves and the team, might have some big guests in the near future.

The men’s basketball social media account shared two photos from the recording booth on social media Thursday, one of head coach Jon Scheyer and ESPN’s Jay Bilas and another of current Duke guard Caleb Foster and the Orlando Magic’s Paolo Banchero.

Bilas, who played for Duke from 1982-86, has become one of the biggest voices in college basketball over his last decade with the network.

Banchero, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA draft, played one season for the Blue Devils in 2022. He helped guide Duke to the Final Four in legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final season.

The first episode of The Brotherhood Podcast was released last July. Banchero and Bilas have not yet appeared on the program, but former Blue Devil stars like Grant Hill, Dereck Lively II, and Quinn Cook all have episodes on the channel.

It remains to be seen whether Banchero and Bilas appear separately or together, but all indications from channel history say they’ll each get their own turn in the spotlight.