Jon Scheyer didn’t need long to find the offseason memory that stood out most during Duke’s recent media day. Sure, the Blue Devils welcomed a run of familiar faces back to campus - Paolo Banchero, Jayson Tatum, Cooper Flagg, Jabari Parker and Jared McCain among them - but the image that kept coming back to Scheyer was Kyrie Irving.
Scheyer said watching Irving work with the current team brought him right back to a one-on-one experience from roughly 15 years ago, when he was trying to rebuild his confidence after an eye injury.
"When I left Duke, I had an eye injury, and I came back to Duke in the fall to just retrain and try to get my bearings again," Scheyer said. "And the coaches put me in an individual workout, and they put me in there against Kyrie.
In retrospect, I said, 'Screw you guys.' But against Kyrie, I was trying to regain my confidence.
It was like the worst thing I could have done. So I'm watching Kyrie play, and they gave me flashbacks to that moment about 15 years ago where I'm trying to guard Kyrie."
The setup makes sense given Scheyer’s own path. After helping Duke win an NCAA title, he was working toward the NBA before a career-altering eye injury in the 2010 NBA Summer League showcase changed everything. He later had a short professional stint overseas before returning to Duke as a coach.
Irving’s Duke stop was brief - just 11 games - but it was enough to make him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. And for Scheyer, it was enough to leave a lasting impression every time Irving comes back around.
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Jon Scheyer Knows What This Duke Team Must Finally Prove
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The challenge, as Scheyer sees it, is that the Blue Devils cannot simply assume last seasons formula will show up again in the same way. The pieces that made that group so difficult to copy are not easy to replace, and the next step is making sure this roster keeps strengthening its foundation while aiming to compete deep into the season. [Read more 🡒]