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Despite Duke basketball losing in the Final Four, head coach Jon Scheyer had a quality season, and it was one that Jay Bilas was impressed with.
On the Rich Eisen Show, Bilas explained what he thinks the head coach's mindset is.
“I think John will handle it positively,” Bilas said. “It's a crushing blow, obviously, but he's a competitor and true competitors know that they can go into a game and lose. They handle it the right way and he's one of those guys.”
In his third season at Duke, the alum has made an incredible mark. He's made the NCAA tournament all three seasons and won the conference tournament in two of those three.
Not to mention, his third season was nearly the charm. Duke basketball went to the Final Four and lost a close game to Houston. While the blue blood hasn't won a national championship since 2015, the expectation is there.
With likely generational star Cooper Flagg, it was likely that they would reach this stage. They were even the favorites to win the NCAA tournament.
After a rough exit though, it was still a monumental moment for Scheyer and the program as a whole.
Can Duke basketball replicate the success of Jon Scheyer?
Tough losses are painful to swallow, especially on the biggest stage. However, it can be a pivotal moment for Scheyer and his team. After all, Scheyer explained the lack of experience Duke basketball had on that stage.
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It can be a learning lesson moving forward for Scheyer and either his returning players or new players.
Even though Bilas remains optimistic regarding the head coach's approach, he's uncertain if Duke basketball will have the same impact that Houston had.
“That's how a lot of great teams operate. They benefit from the times they've fallen short and they've been in the fire and they move forward in a positive way,” Bilas said.
“Duke doesn't have that luxury because their team changes just about every year.”
With Flagg set to declare for the NBA Draft, guys like Kon Knueppel could join him. It'll make it more difficult to establish camaraderie among teammates.
At the end of the day, falling face first could prove beneficial for Scheyer and his program. At the same time though, he will need to decide to either go for talent, or go for lesser talent to establish camaraderie.
Either way, Duke basketball is in good hands with Scheyer as head coach.
