Nine months after Mike Krzyzewski announced his impending retirement from Duke, the post-K era has officially begun courtesy of sworn enemy North Carolina. On Sunday, the No. 8 Tar Heels knocked off No. 2 Duke 81–77 in the Final Four, ending Krzyzewski’s illustrious 42-season reign and launching Jon Scheyer’s head-coaching career, all in one fell swoop.
From his sideline demeanor to his in-game adjustments, Scheyer’s differences from his predecessor will be picked apart ad nauseam. But it’s the similarities in recruiting prowess that should keep Duke in the heavyweight division of college basketball next season and beyond.
On the recruiting trail, Krzyzewski was known as the ultimate closer whose combination of star power and gift of gab led to multiple top recruiting classes over the years. In January, top junior forward G.G. Jackson told SI that he “was literally shaking” in awe of Krzyzewski as he addressed his team before a game against Syracuse.
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While Scheyer may not be causing recruits to lose their cool just yet, he’s proven to be a chip off the old block regarding his ability to connect and convince, as evidenced by his six-man No. 1 recruiting class in the SI All-American team rankings for 2022. For perspective, Scheyer has also already landed two of the top guards in the 2023 class in Caleb Foster and Jared McCain.
Duke is expected to lose most, if not all, of its starting lineup to the NBA, giving way for an influx of elite young talent highlighted by Dereck Lively, the top overall prospect in the SI99. Lively, a 7’ 0” center, will provide a Mark Williams–like defensive presence for Scheyer as the most feared shot swatter in high school basketball.
Last summer, Lively led the prestigious Nike EYBL in blocks, swatting away five a game. Offensively, he’s wildly versatile with an ability to step out and efficiently knock down perimeter shots and finish plays around the rim. He and Kyle Filipowski should give the Blue Devils a devastating high-low combination next season.
Filipowski, a 6' 11" center, is arguably the most versatile big man in the 2022 class who thrives in the paint or on the wing. Filipowski, ranked No. 6 in the SI99, scores at-will in a variety of different ways, but it’s his playmaking ability and vision that could be one of the greatest assets to Scheyer’s offensive scheme next season.
Scheyer snagged another big, 7' 1" center Christian Reeves, to add depth in the frontcourt, but versatile combo forward Mark Mitchell could prove to be the toughest matchup in the star-studded class. A 6' 8" southpaw, Mitchell, ranked No. 18 overall in the SI99, thrives as a slasher and a post-up big with a variety of combos to infiltrate and efficiently score through contact.
In the backcourt, Scheyer will welcome an athletic finisher and an efficient sniper in Dariq Whitehead and Jaden Schutt. Whitehead, ranked No. 4 in the SI99, is a quick, 6' 5" athlete with an elite skill set and a mixed bag on the offensive end. He scores efficiently on all three levels and could be Duke’s top perimeter defender next season.
Schutt, ranked No. 41 in the SI99, is an automatic marksman with exceptional range and a quick release, and will likely get solid looks with the attention Filipowski and Lively should command.
That deep and talented group should mesh well with Duke’s current backup point guard Jeremy Roach, who showed flashes of what’s to come toward the end of the season, averaging 11.8 points in the NCAA tournament. Like most teams, Duke will peek into the transfer portal to potentially add experience, but for the incoming core, the collective goal is clear.
“Just because Coach K is stepping down and Coach Scheyer is stepping up, nothing is gonna change with Duke,” Lively said. “We’re really just gonna focus on maintaining the overall dominance of The Brotherhood. All we wanna do is win.”
