In just his third season leading the Duke basketball program, Jon Scheyer has guided his team to an impressive 33-3 record, securing both the ACC regular-season and tournament championships, a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and a spot in the Sweet Sixteen.
Despite these achievements, Scheyer was not named ACC Coach of the Year—an honor that hasn’t been awarded to a Duke coach since Mike Krzyzewski won his fifth and final award in the 1999-2000 season. Instead, Louisville’s Pat Kelsey claimed the title after revitalizing the Cardinals with an 18-2 conference record.
Many Duke fans felt Scheyer was unfairly overlooked for the award. However, he is now in the running for an even more prestigious accolade. On Monday, it was announced that the 37-year-old is a finalist for the 2025 Naismith Coach of the Year award, joining Auburn’s Bruce Pearl, St. John’s Rick Pitino, and Houston’s Kelvin Sampson.
This recognition would add to Scheyer’s growing list of accomplishments. He is already the first coach in ACC history to win two conference titles within his first three seasons and holds the record for most wins by an ACC coach in that span, with 87 and counting.
Next, Scheyer and the top-seeded Blue Devils will face the No. 4 seed Arizona Wildcats on Thursday at approximately 9:39 p.m. ET (CBS), aiming for their second consecutive trip to the Elite Eight.