The Duke basketball program has not seen one of its head coaches win the Naismith College Coach of the Year award in over two decades.
However, current Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer, a former Duke guard now in his third season at the helm, has been named to the 15-man watch list for the prestigious honor, which was announced on Friday.
Scheyer joins a group of top coaches that includes St. John’s Rick Pitino, Wisconsin’s Greg Gard, Missouri’s Dennis Gates, Memphis’ Penny Hardaway, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, Florida’s Todd Golden, Louisville’s Pat Kelsey, Michigan’s Dusty May, Texas Tech’s Grant McCasland, Drake’s Ben McCollum, Purdue’s Matt Painter, Auburn’s Bruce Pearl, New Mexico’s Richard Pitino, and Houston’s Kelvin Sampson.
Duke has a storied history with the Naismith College Coach of the Year award, holding a record three wins thanks to legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski, who led the program to five national championships. However, the last time a Duke coach won the award was in the 1998-99 season when Krzyzewski was honored, and Duke star Elton Brand was named Naismith College Player of the Year.
Scheyer’s current Blue Devils, ranked No. 3 in the nation with a 23-3 overall record (15-1 ACC), are led by freshman standout Cooper Flagg, a top contender for the Naismith College Player of the Year award. If Duke wins out, they will match the 37-win total set by the 1998-99 team, which ultimately fell to UConn in the national championship game.
Extending their current three-game winning streak to 17 would surpass their earlier 16-game run, which ended with a loss at Clemson on Feb. 8. If they achieve this feat, the 2024-25 Blue Devils could become the first Duke team to reach 37 wins and secure a national championship in the same season.
