Head coach Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils lost in heartbreaking fashion in the Final Four last season. They were the favorites to defeat the Houston Cougars and win the national championship, but lost a close 70-67 game against the Cougars. The Cougars went on to lose against Florida in the national championship game.
To make matters worse for the Blue Devils, the team lost many of its top players to the NBA. In a press conference on Tuesday, Scheyer spoke about the heartbreak and bouncing back after losing many top players.
“You have to make sure you do your job to have the best team possible the following season,” Scheyer said (Timestamp 4:50). “At the same time, I think it’s natural to shy away from it or to make an excuse or rationalize. For me, I only know one way, and that’s to dive deep into it. I’ve watched the game countless times. I’ve tried to reimagine and replay, it’s not about second-guessing, but I think it’s the reality of basketball is an amazing sport where crazy things can happen.”
“Taking that moment, you don’t get that moment back. At the same time, you draw from it and lean into it. It’s the only way to go forward. So, that’s what I’ve done. I’ll continue to do that. I’m fully in. Now that our team’s here, I’m fully in with them. At the same time, look, before I ever won a national championship or a state championship, I lost in heartbreaking ways along the way. Sometimes you don’t feel like you can overcome. It’s just what I’ve always had to do. This is no exception.”
Today’s full Coach @JonScheyer presser w/ our great local media pic.twitter.com/ceFjwc3WIA
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) July 8, 2025
Duke Had 3 Players Selected in the Top 10 of the 2025 NBA Draft
After a heartbreaking end to the season for Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils, it did not get any easier as the team lost many of its top players, including three who went in the top 10 of the 2025 NBA draft. Cooper Flagg was the most significant loss, going first to the Dallas Mavericks. He was one of the best players in college basketball last season.
Kon Knueppel was picked fourth by the Charlotte Hornets and will be missed in Duke’s lineup. Rounding out the strong group of three is Khaman Maluach, who was selected 10th and will be joining the Phoenix Suns. Jon Scheyer will need to work hard to help his team compete after such heavy losses.
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