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After all the drama and excitement surrounding Duke Basketball this week, it would be easy to forget that there is another story, and that’s for the public to get to know the next coach, Jon Scheyer, who will be formally introduced at 11:00 Friday.
Just 33 now, the same as Coach K was when he took over the Duke program, Scheyer obviously steps into some big shoes. He’ll be taking over the equivalent of Alabama football or the Green Bay Packers under Vince Lombardi. It’s not going to be easy.
And while we’re sure that Coach K has thought of this - the man is never unprepared - moving from an assistant to head coach isn’t always easy. As an assistant, you’re more nurturing. Part of your job is to smooth out the head coach’s abrasiveness. In a typical program, the coach yells at the players and then the assistant explains why.
Duke is different in many ways so we don’t know exactly how that plays out, but the basic idea is probably not far off. Scheyer will have to reinvent himself a bit in order to be a leader and so will his staff.
And speaking of staff, young Scheyer will have to replace himself. That’s going to be an interesting guessing game for awhile.