Four years ago, Jon Scheyer's mother called his high school coach one Saturday morning with some unusual news.
“Jon is going crazy,” coach Dave Weber said Laury Scheyer told him. “He's writing a letter to every kid on the team.”
Glenbrook North, Scheyer's high school, had completed its regular season the night before and was heading into the playoffs. Scheyer wanted to win a state title and was leaving nothing to chance.
He typed out individual letters to each teammate, instructing them on the roles they needed to play for the school to win a title.
He wanted Zach Kelley to rebound and score inside.
Scheyer's backcourt partner, Sean Wallis, needed to be a leader and hit shots. Scheyer told Malik Valliani he needed to become a good passer.
Scheyer's backcourt partner, Sean Wallis, needed to be a leader and hit shots. Scheyer told Malik Valliani he needed to become a good passer.
“His leadership is incredible,” Weber said. “You can talk about it, but it was so natural with him.”
That's why it seems so natural to Weber that Scheyer is thriving at Duke after being moved from shooting guard to the starting point guard spot Feb. 19. The point guard is supposed to be the leader and steadying force for a team, and Weber said that role fits Scheyer perfectly.
With Scheyer claiming most outstanding player honors at the ACC tournament, Duke seized the league title Sunday.
Before his move to the point, Scheyer was averaging 13.1 points a game. Since the move, he has averaged 20.2 points in nine games. Eight of those games have been wins for Duke (28-6), which will meet Binghamton (23-8) in a first-round NCAA tournament game at about 9:40 p.m. Thursday in Greensboro.
“I like having the ball in my hands,” Scheyer said Tuesday. “I feel like I'm not going to make bad decisions with the ball.”
Since Duke has moved Scheyer to point guard, Krzyzewski has seen that one of Scheyer's best assets is his ability to stay cool under defensive pressure.
Scheyer usually makes the smartest, most conservative play possible with the ball. That doesn't get him a ton of assists (he's averaged 1.9 the last nine games), but it helps Duke keep the ball.
“We really haven't done anything in the tournament, and many people don't expect us to (this year),” Scheyer said. “And for us, in high school it was the same thing. And the main thing I want to get across to my teammates is that we can win, and I believe we can.”
