BDN talks to Jon Scheyer about running the point

I wasted little time in asking Jon about starting at the PG spot. Scheyer was patient as always answering questions.

So, let’s get right to the point, pardon the pun. What’s it like to run the point?

You know, I feel comfortable with it. It’s something I have done in practice a lot and through out the year. I think that it gives some advantages to the offense on our team and I feel comfortable doing it. I jsthink some of it has to do with match ups. Also a big thing is guarding the ball and Elliot has been doing a good job of that of late, guarding a point guard. And Nolan is really our best guy doing that. In practice recently he’s done a better job in trying to get back to where he was guarding the ball. I think for myself I can create mismatches bring the ball up. I can work off the ball … it’s not like I need to bring the ball up.

Did you sense Elliot was a little bit more under control?

He was. That’s as strong of moves he’s made all year in a game. He’s done it in practice, but in games … for being a freshman in that situation starting a pretty big game, he had a lot of poise in that game.

Can you talk of the defense which was so good all season? What has been going in in the last few games?

I think the biggest thing is us determining what the offense is going to do. They just played their offense and we just followed them around the court. We’re at our best when we are attacking people offensively and defensively. I think that’s what we lost during that stretch. Even though we had some losses, those games were learning experiences for us.

After the Boston College loss Duke seemed to pull close together and little was heard until now. Was that K’s way of saying …

I think he … the main thing was we need to have toughness on the court, we need to play defense and whatever the lineup was going to be, Coach wanted to put a line up out there that could do that. Going into the St. John’s game we were to be tough, play defense and not be scared. Moving forward that’s the things we have to do.

When did you first know you be starting at point?

The day after the game he told me. That’s something I was excited about because for me I felt it would be kind of a way to play a new position a little bit. Just trying to think of the season from the St. John’s game on is kind of like a new season in a way.

Do you feel like the line-up will stay in place?

I don’t know. Coach seems really serious. All the guys like the way it’s going right now. So we are probably going to stay with it, but I can’t really predict how long or if the next game we’ll switch it up. But right now, I feel like this is something that can help our team. The season is so long that it’s almost like a fresh feel to it, especially for me, but the team in general sometimes needs something different in the middle of the year. Also, someone like Elliot - he’s having some great minutes for us in practice and that’s exciting.

How about Gerald Henderson, whats he like at home?

Aw, he just like sleeps on the couch all day. (smiling) I’ll say one nice thing about him and that’s it. He really loves basketball and he really studies the game as well as anybody I know. As much as I make fun of him for watching Kobe Bryant all the time. He studies Kobe and tries to do some of his moves and gets yelled at in practice for doing them. He’s always watching our games and opposing teams plays. Pretty much anytime he hears Kobe, he just stops everything and switches the TV.

Do you have anybody you watch?

You know, I like a bunch of players, but I’m not (laughing) obsessed with one person like he is with Kobe. God forbid what would happen if he played him in a year or two. I don’t what would happen if he was guarding him, he might ask him for his autograph on the court.

In the last couple of seasons there has been a late year slide. Is that what’s sort of going on here?

I think we got into the same thing. This is the point in the season where we can either change it or have it be the same thing. In my freshman year I didn’t have too much control. The upperclassmen that are going through it … it’s up to us. That’s something we feel we’re in control and we can change it. We just have to take it game by game and not put too much pressure on ourselves.