Replacing a legendary college coach is a double-edged sword. It is an amazing advantage to inherit a proud tradition and ready-made culture, but pushing through all the outside noise and high expectations can be a taxing job in and of itself. Jon Scheyer was prepared to be endlessly compared to Mike Krzyzewski upon being named Duke basketball head coach, but adjustments have still been necessary.

The biggest change the former longtime assistant has made centers around communicating with his team, which he admits was much different when he played for the University from 2006-10.

“When I was a player, it was you're doing this and you did it,” a smiling Scheyer told Andy Katz on NCAA Digital. “Now it's important they understand why you're doing certain drills, why we're playing a certain style. I think you can never over-communicate too much, and still the best way is to be incredibly truthful…We don't hold back or sugarcoat anything.”

It is tough to walk the line between a no-nonsense approach and one that works to keep players constantly in the loop. Coaches do not want players to think of them as a buddy. There is a hierarchy that must be respected. Still, this generation of young athletes is, by and large, very different than the one that preceded it.

Different techniques must be employed to gain the successful results Duke basketball fans are so accustomed to seeing. Despite an early exit in the 2023 NCAA Tournament and a recent loss to unranked Arkansas, Jon Scheyer seems to be doing an effective job at pressing the right buttons in this ever-changing landscape of college sports.