Duke’s Jon Scheyer Becomes School’s Winningest Rookie Coach

The Blue Devils coach eclipsed a mark first set in the 1942-43 season.

It’s anything but easy to replace a legend, but Jon Scheyer is acquitting himself well in his first season as Duke men’s basketball coach.

Scheyer took over for his famous mentor, Mike Krzyzewski, after a remarkable 42-year tenure which included 1,129 victories and five national championships.

Now, Scheyer is under the microscope at the helm of one of the most storied programs in college basketball. But if the early returns are any indication, the Blue Devils program is in good hands for the long haul.

Duke improved to 21–8 on Saturday night with an 81–65 home win over Virginia Tech, and the victory made Scheyer the winningest first-year men’s basketball head coach in school history. The previous record of 20 wins by a rookie coach was set by Gerry Gerard in the 1942–43 season and equaled by his successor, Harold Bradley, in 1950–51.

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“I thought it was one of the best start to finishes that we’ve had,” Scheyer said after Saturday’s win, the Blue Devils’ fourth in a row. “I am really proud of the edge that we played with and our defense. … Proud of the effort, proud of the win, and taking care of home court.”

Duke is 12–6 in ACC play this season and sits in fifth place in the conference standings, albeit just two games behind first-place Pitt, with two games left in the regular season. The Blue Devils play host to NC State on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.