Tag Archives: Jon Scheyer

BDN’s Monday Musings – Recruiting, Football Wins, Praise and Injuries

A Monday Musings tradition is the Cheerleader of the Week pic - Rick Crank, BDN Photo

Good Monday morning Blue Devil Nation!  It's the first day of November which means we are into the meat of the football schedule while basketball begins in earnest.  It'll be a busy week ahead as recruiting heats up and Duke prepares for Virginia on the football field in Wallace Wade this Saturday and Cal Poly Pamona visits Cameron Indoor Stadium prior to that.

We'll start with basketball recruiting for the November early signing period begins on the 10th of this month and ends on the 17th.  The news broke over the weekend that Myck Kabongo had decommitted from Texas and that Duke was on his list.  The Blue Devils will get involved but it remains to be seen how this one will play out for many reasons.  One of those reasons is Quinn Cook who holds an offer but who let North Carolina in at the midnight hour adding them to his list just yesterday.  Cook grew up a fan of the school and it is no secret that Roy Williams always seems to come in later on just about every kid the Blue Devils target.  A lot of people expected Cook to give Duke a verbal already, including me, but oh how the landscape changes quickly in the world of recruiting and Duke has positioned themselves to come away with a point guard to run alongside Austin Rivers.  Michael Gbinije, Marshall Plumlee and the aforementioned Austin Rivers are all expected to sign during the early period.  More recruiting discussion can be found if you gain full site access by joining BDN Premium and that's how you can support the hard work of the BDN staff and this site.

I attended the Coach K Coaching Clinic this past weekend without the media hat on for I have a passion for coaching myself.  But it was hard not to come away having gleaned some key insight into the team itself and I can share with you that Miles Plumlee earned high praise from Krzyzewski for his practice of late.  In fact, he was mentioned on three occasions and that is a sign that he'll certainly be a main cog in the lineup early on.  The key for Miles is to stay intense for Duke and he'll once again begin the season as a sure starter.

Also mentioned was the fact that Jon Scheyer's eye injury was not a good thing in that he has apparently lost some of the vision.  Scheyer will embark on a journey to Europe soon and we'll of course keep tabs on him.  Meanwhile Brian Zoubek had some unfortunate luck as well and he is currently rehabbing at Duke after an operation on his back.  BDN's wishes these national champions a speedy recovery.

Krzyzewski also spoke of "10 standards," for this seasons team and we'll let him share that at a later date.  We can tell you that the US team had 15 standards as well, bet here is what we're getting to ... the standards act as a contract.  This carries over into a much discussed issue of social media, namely Twitter.  During ACC Operation Basketball I spoke to Krzyzewski about the standards which he'd clarify more in recent days.  I basically said that he trusts his players in that they would not go as far as kids just down the road.  Krzyzewski doesn't think that he should put but so many restrictions on his team so that they'll grow in the process both on and off the court.  In short, Duke sets forth standards which players respect and adhere to and this enables Krzyzewski to trust his players judgement and that means we''ll continue to be entertained by Nolan Smith's tweets.  And isn't it obvious that the Duke kids have not embarrassed themselves or the school?

I personally think it is crazy to hang on every single comment from Twitter via prospects every little whim, but we do like it as a tool to further our site.  That said, join BDN Twitter for we bring you an additional game experience from press row in Cameron and Wallace Wade.  If you want constant behind the scenes tidbits then sign up now and get a unique perspective.  We carried you every step of the way to the national championship last year and we hope to do so again this season.  And we promise not to tweet what we are eating  and every little thing which is not pertinent to your fandom.

Man, did the football team need a win and the victory over Navy cured some ills getting the Blue Devils back into the win column.  One cannot help but think what if Duke had defeated Maryland and Wake Forest, two games where they outplayed their opponent for they'd be 4-4 going into the UVA game.  Still, the team has a chance to end the seasons with some positives but it'll take consistent play.

Winning down the stretch for Cutcliffe's troops will also be aided by another game with no turnovers.  We see what can happen when Duke protects the ball the entire game against a Navy team coming off a victory over Notre Dame.  Turnovers have doomed the Devils more often than not this season and they'll need this to turn around against a physical Virginia team coming off a win over Miami this past week.

Lastly, thanks for your patience of late as our staff has been very busy.  We'll get fully back into the gro this month and that means max coverage of the games on the Duke Beat along with some tweaks to the site along the way.  Also, check out our Facebook site which we have not pushed with the success of BDN Twitter for there all fans can post and or add pictures there.

Lastly, for the longest time we've held out from allowing advertisers on this site but that will change in the near future.  Originally, we thought we'd give you a break from those annoying ad's which bounce off the page or force you to read them for we're dependant on memberships to fund BDN.  For several years we chose to keep advertising off to facilitate a clean look for your viewing pleasure but the additional income will go towards site maintenance and growth.  We promise to avoid those annoying ads but will be adding some which we personally approve of.  Advertisers can contact Susan in Admin or myself for more details with your needs and at this time we still have a top banner opening.    Have a great week ahead and remember we all make up the Blue Devil Nation.

Jon Scheyer’s farewell speech from the Awards Banquet ceremony

copyright BDN Photo

DURHAM - BDN's coverage of the magical national championship continues with Jon Scheyer making his farewell speech from the annual Duke Basketball Awards Banquet in Cameron Indoor Stadium.  Needless to say this years event was truly special in that Scheyer leaves Duke with a National Championship.  What an amazing season!

Just press play -[private]

Scheyer is still on fire! [/private]

The Jon Scheyer Foundation will host May Madness: Gaming to Give

Jon - BDN Photo

DURHAM, N.C. – After leading the Duke Blue Devils to the 2010 NCAA National Championship, senior Jon Scheyer plans to give back to the Durham community. The Jon Scheyer Foundation will host May Madness: Gaming to Give on May 1, 2010 from noon to 5 p.m. in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The event will feature Halo 3 and FIFA 2010 Xbox video game tournaments, as well as live music by Nautical Young, Speak of the Devil and Point Break. In addition, Scheyer and members of the 2010 National Championship team will be on hand to sign autographs.

General admission for May Madness will be $10 at the door. Duke students will be admitted for $5 with their student ID. Children under the age of 12 will be admitted free of charge. Entry forms for the video game tournaments can be found on www.jonscheyer.com.Proceeds from May Madness will benefit the Jimmy V Foundation and the Emily K Center.

The Jon Scheyer Foundation benefits young people in the community and serves to develop and encourage the qualities of leadership, dedication and perseverance in the hearts of young people everywhere, and to give back to under served communities in need.

For more information about May Madness, visit www.jonscheyer.com or contact Brooke Scheyer at bscheyer@brighteststarfoundations.com.

Duke’s special senior class leaves lasting memories for the Blue Devil Nation

Duke Senior Jon Scheyer scored 2077 points in his Duke career faling one basket shy of Gene Bnks who stands at 8th place on the Duke All Time Scoring list. Scheyer hit one or more three point field goals in his last 33 games. His total of 144 games played ties Chris Duhon for 4th in history.

DURHAM - It's almost as if the 2010 Duke senior class bloomed right along with spring.   As Duke celebrated their fourth national title this past Monday, three Duke seniors - Jon Scheyer, Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek - blossomed in full glory.

Each senior basked in the lighted stage of victory, all of them smiling, all of them relieved and all of them standing in the end as national champions.  In fact, they were the only ones standing when past seasons brought about disappointing ends.

If you follow the Duke program closely you know that this core of seniors had nobody look up to in their freshman campaign.  Despite that, the group was seasoned in the Duke system and in their senior year they formed a special bond which led to some amazing team chemistry.

In short, this senior class is special in many ways and it is one that will always be cherished in that they made all proud to say "We are Duke!"  Not that many fans were not content, but that the taste of another title on an exhilarating tournament run was that little something which brings about fan base bliss.

When Jon Scheyer was asked to run the point this season there were many who doubted that he could get the job done, but it didn't take long for them to realize he could.   That's how talented Jon Scheyer is. He became the primary ball handler and survived the pressure of the one position that controls the game all season long.

That season ended, of course, in a national championship and his ability to switch from the off guard spot is one of the main reasons that Duke cut down the nets in Lucas Oil Stadium.  There is no doubt that the signs which  read, "Scheyer was on fire" in his senior season were spot on in so many ways.

The amazing thing about Scheyer was his selflessness.  At no time this season did he worry about individual records.  He fell just short of JJ Redick's all time free throw percentage mark, inches from Wojo's assist to turnover ratio mark, and a three pointer away from passing Gene Banks on the Duke all time lists.

With a 'team first' mentality, Scheyer sacrificed personal accolades for the big prize.  What Scheyer does is put his team first and he left fans with what they most covet that being a national championship and he himself now has a ring.  Despite the aforementioned three alums records, each of them would trade places with number 30.  With Duke's stringent standards on raising numbers to the rafters, Scheyer's will not appear there.  But if he were playing for the neighbor a few miles down the road, he would probably get four banners for his play.

Regardless of the fact that his name will not hang atop Cameron Indoor Stadium, Scheyer has embedded himself as one of the most popular players in Duke basketball history.  The Illinois native represented Duke in a class way while in Durham and there is a tremendous sadness when one realizes they'll never see this kid in the royal blue again.

Here was a player who proved himself to be one of the best and, in the end, King of the Hill.  While he fell a few votes shy of ACC Player of the Year and came painfully close to first team All American, Jon did what it took for Duke to take home the big enchilada.

Make no mistake in that the Blue Devil Nation sheds a tear when they think of the exploits of Jon Scheyer.

Brian Zoubek Duke
This picture is kind of special to me in that getting to know Brian Zoubek this season enabled me to read his eyes. Brian Zoubek came up big for Duke down the stretch and his size and agressiveness helped Duke win a thriller over Bayler. What do his eyes tell me? That he came full circle through adversity and earned respect with his determined and aggresive play and that look at me now world, I'm a national champion and I was viatl to my teams success. ZOubek enjoyed the late season attention and he was the best interview down the stretch run. Zoubs you are and will be the man.

There was a time when one would have thought Brian Zoubek would come and go from Duke with little fanfare when the buzzer sounded for his last game.  Zoubek went through a litany of problems while at Duke, most of which are documented enough that there is no need of mention.

One doesn't have to know Zoubek's struggles to appreciate what will be remembered for a long time to come.  The nation was still sleeping when Zoubek started to don a beard and in the process his play took on a Sampson-like quality.

Here we are at the national championship game and a deep cheer "Zoubs," rolls through Lucas Oil Stadium as the senior rips down his tenth rebound of the game.   And what a critical rebound it was, with seven seconds left on the clock and Duke clinging to a 60-59 lead.

Zoubek was fouled on the play and hit the first of two shots, the second bounding off the rim per instructions from the bench.  That miss was rebounded by Butler's star player Gordon Hayward who slashed to mid court as a vicious pick was set on Kyle Singler allowing him to get an open look.

While the ball just barely bounced off the backboard and rim, Zoubek had run back towards the basket after raising a long arm in Haywards face.  Who is to know if that didn't just alter Hayward's shot enough to barely miss?

Either way, Zoubek came up big in the last minutes of this game and his play down the season stretch helped will the Blue Devils to a red hot 18-1 mark, finishing off a year to remember.  Zoubek came full circle after a career with ups and downs and he did that at just the right time for without his play the Blue Devils would not have been the last team standing.

Zoubek was quite simply a beast of a presence and watching his confidence grow and to have gotten to know him during this amazing stretch run is something that made a lifelong impression on  me.  Brian leaves Duke as one beloved Blue Devil and I think I speak for the entire Blue Devil Nation in saying, "thank you so much for the memories, Zoubs."

There were a lot of good players in the NCAA Tournament but Duke's Lance Thomas was one aof a few last men standing. When the dust cleared Thomas had becoem part of a three man senior class that will long be remembered in the anals of Duke lors. The har working Jersey born bread and proud Thomas was a workhorse that did whatever was askled of him with full throttle energy and desire. LT is and will always be in the house.

Much like Zoubek, Lance Thomas would often be taken to task on message boards by armchair coaches over his career.  What they now recognize is that Thomas was the workhorse for this season's Blue Devils team and he did not only what was asked of him, but more.

Some might still need to be told that Thomas really did the dirty work his whole career and that the fact he was starting for many years meant there were never better options.  Some things just don't show up in the stat sheets.  You can't measure hustle, nor is there a stat for the willingness to guard the other team's best player, be it a guard or a power forward.

Thomas was Duke's 'Energizer Bunny' and his chemistry with Zoubek allowed Krzyzewski to form a two and two rotation with the brothers Plumlee, providing Duke with front court depth unlike any season in their history.

Thomas got his hand in the face of many shooters in the Butler game and by hitting three of five shots in the game, he forced the Bulldogs to come out to guard him on the perimeter.  Thomas was invaluable to Duke this season after losing Gerald Henderson to the NBA and Elliot Williams to Memphis.  Thomas rose to the occasion and played his role to perfection to fill the gaps and, as a result, he has some new bling on his finger to show off to his beloved New Jersey homies.

Having followed Thomas and the Duke beat all season long, I can tell you firsthand that Thomas was one of the most focused and hardest working young men I've been around.  Here is a youngster who would never say quit, one who would get knocked down and get back up before he even hit the floor.

Thomas, like the other Blue Devil seniors, fought off some tears when answering questions for the media.  It was Thomas who told me during the off day in a sincere eye to eye manner, "We've got one more game.  We've got one more game to take care and then I can smile."

Well, Thomas was all smiles in the Duke locker room after his mission and that of his fellow seniors was complete.  There in the background was the national championship trophy sitting on a trainer's table and a piece of net hanging from each of the seniors' newly minted champion hats.

There was a special glow surrounding the kids who would wear their Duke uniform for the last time, and there was a sense around the whole Duke family that nobody want this magical journey to end.

"I'm at a loss for words," said Thomas in his now well realized passionate manner as I questioned him perhaps for the last time.  And I can tell you, Lance, with mirrored passionate honestym that the Blue Devil Nation is at a loss for words too and we thank you with all our collective hearts for leaving us with a gift that will keep giving as time passes on.

In case you missed it – The Duke post game press conference

Duke 2010 National Champions
The Duke staff was all hugs for good reason in that their hard work gained a national championship. What a special group of Duke Blue Devils! What a season! What a joy is is for Duke fans! How cool is it to be on top of the world? BDN Photo

INDIANAPOLIS - If you missed the post game press conference, here it is for you.  Coach K, Jon Scheyer, Brian Zoubek, Lance Thomas and most outstanding player Kyle Singler address the media after they won the national championship with a thrilling win over Butler.

Just press play -