Before the nets were cut and the confetti fell, the Blue Devils went on to make yet another Final Four appearance. This time it wasn’t under the beloved Coach K, but under Jon Scheyer. If Scheyer had failed to make a deep tournament run, his coaching would have been questioned.
It is Scheyer’s third season as head coach after the departure of Mike Krzyzewski. And with the Blue Devils’ 85-65 win over Alabama in the Elite Eight, Scheyer has proven that his strategic roster building is nothing short of Coach K’s skills. However, this is not a solo endeavor, and Scheyer is not doing it alone.
Duke Basketball Coaching Staff Brings Big Names Like Chris Carrawell, Will Avery, and More
The big wins that the Blue Devils are bringing in year after year aren’t just about the head coach. Scheyer’s coaching staff is packed with former Duke stars and brilliant basketball minds. So, are the people on the coaching roster?
Jon Scheyer @ Duke so far
Year 1: 27-9, ACCT 🏆 , NCAAT Appearance
Year 2: 27-9, Elite 8 Appearance
Year 3: 35-3, ACC Reg Szn 🏆, ACCT 🏆 & Final Four Appearance (still dancing)He’s only 37 🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/FW0I8JPJwp
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) March 30, 2025
Jon Scheyer – Head Coach
Scheyer is a Duke legend in his own right. He took over the Blue Devils in 2022, succeeding the legendary Krzyzewski. The former Duke All-American and two-time team captain had been an important part of the program for years. Scheyer was an assistant coach and later associate head coach under Coach K.
Soon after, he took over the Blue Devils. Scheyer made an immediate impact. He went on to win the ACC Tournament title in his first season while becoming the first coach in conference history to go undefeated at home in his debut year. Additionally, he managed to land a name like Cooper Flagg on his roster.
Chris Carrawell – Associate Head Coach
Chris Carrawell bleeds Duke blue. Carrawell is a former Blue Devil himself, who was a part of Duke’s 90s winning streak. He even went on to earn ACC Player of the Year honors in 2000. Since joining the coaching staff in 2018, he has been involved in player development and game strategy. Let’s also not forget, that he is Scheyer’s right-hand man!
Will Avery – Assistant Coach
Will Avery is a former Duke star and NBA player. Duke’s backcourt average of 27.4 points and 9.2 assists per game is all thanks to Avery. Tyrese Proctor, shooting 38.5% from three-point range, has refined his playmaking under Avery. Additionally, Caleb Foster scored 11.8 points per game on 45.2% shooting under Avery.
Emanuel Dildy – Assistant Coach
Emanuel Dildy was hired in August 2023. Before joining the Blue Devils, he spent two years at Oklahoma under Porter Moser, where he helped the Sooners land four ESPN 100 recruits. Not long before that, Dildy also spent three seasons at Northwestern under Chris Collins. He has stints at Valparaiso, Missouri, Loyola Chicago, and Eastern Illinois.
Mike Schrage – Special Assistant to the Head Coach
Mike Schrage joined Duke in April 2022 and brought along more than two decades of coaching experience to Jon Scheyer’s staff. Schrage previously served as head coach at Elon from 2019 to 2022, where he made history by leading the Phoenix to the CAA Tournament title game as the first No. 8-seed to do so.
Under him, Elon had multiple All-CAA selections and ranked first in scoring defense. Before Elon, he worked with Chris Holtmann at Ohio State and Butler. He also had eight seasons at Stanford as an assistant to Johnny Dawkins. But his connection with Duke comes before these long stints.
Mike Schrage’s connection with Duke dates back to his nine-year tenure (1999-2008) under Mike Krzyzewski. At that time, he was the academic and recruiting coordinator, and then he took on the director of basketball operations position.
Justin Robinson – Director of Player Development
Justin Robinson is a former Duke captain and two-time ACC Champion. It was in 2023 that Robinson rejoined the Blue Devils as the Director of Player Development. During his five-year playing career at Duke, Robinson appeared in 55 games.
After graduating with a degree in psychology and earning a master’s in management studies (2020) from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, he went on to play overseas. He signed his first contract with KK Mornar Bar in 2020.
He also went on to spend two seasons with Elitzur Maccabi Netanya. In his final season, he averaged 13.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game.
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