Phoenix Suns forward and Duke alum Mason Plumlee offered heartfelt praise to Jon Scheyer after the Blue Devils head coach earned the 2025 John McLendon National Coach of the Year award.
The McLendon Award honors the top head coach across all levels of college basketball — Division I, II, III, NAIA, and JUCO. Scheyer, a Duke legend, led the program with distinction this season, earning national recognition for his leadership and performance. Plumlee’s message highlighted the strong bond among Duke basketball alumni.
Mason Plumlee Applauds Jon Scheyer After McLendon Coach of the Year Honor
Former Duke standout Plumlee, who wore the Blue Devils jersey from 2009 to 2013 and won a national title as a freshman, recently offered his congratulations to Scheyer for capturing the 2025 John McLendon National Coach of the Year award.
“Jon, what’s up, man? I want to wish you well in the Final Four and congratulate you on your Coach of the Year award—that’s so deserved,” said Plumlee. “Super proud of you and couldn’t be happier. So congrats to you and your fam because I know they made a lot of sacrifices to win that and go get them at San Antonio.”
Duke legend and Phoenix Suns star, Mason Plumlee shares a congratulatory message for Jon Scheyer on winning the 2025 John McLendon award. #2025CIAwards @DukeMBB @masonplumlee pic.twitter.com/kwZvLLwzrq
— College Insider Inc. (@collegeinsider) April 3, 2025
Now in his third year as Duke’s head coach, Scheyer guided the program to a dominant 35-3 record and its 18th Final Four appearance. The Blue Devils secured the ACC regular season and tournament championships for the first time since 2006.
Their 19-1 conference mark came with an average victory margin of 21.7 points per game. Duke entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed and recorded at least 31 wins in a season for just the third time in school history (1985-86, 1998-99).
Scheyer also became the first ACC coach to win two tournament titles within his first three seasons and now owns 89 wins—surpassing the previous record of 80 held by North Carolina’s Bill Guthridge. He is one win shy of setting a new record for most victories by a Division I coach over their first three years.
Angela Lento, vice president of CollegeInsider.com, praised Scheyer, saying,
“He has combined that toughness, which made him one of the greatest players ever to come out of Chicago, with a down-to-earth, personable approach… Jon Scheyer is the genuine article.”
Before taking over the program, Scheyer served under Mike Krzyzewski for nearly a decade. He scored over 2,000 points as a player and remains the only Blue Devil to post 500 rebounds, 400 assists, 250 threes, and 200 steals.
KEEP READING: In Videos: Duke’s Jon Scheyer Earns Rare Double Praise from Coach K and Bobby Knight
The McLendon Award honors legendary coach John McLendon, a groundbreaking figure in basketball history who amassed 523 wins and a .760 win percentage over his storied career.
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