The No. 1 Duke Blue Devils suffered a heartbreaking loss on Sunday evening in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, falling 73-72 to the No. 2 UConn Huskies, who overcame a 19-point deficit on a game-winning three-pointer from freshman guard Braylon Mullins.
As expected, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer was stunned after the game, saying, “I don’t have the words,” to describe what unfolded in a matchup that seemed to have the Blue Devils on their way to a second consecutive Final Four.
It didn’t play out that way, but Duke still had a tremendous season, finishing with 35 wins, going undefeated at home, and capturing both the ACC regular season and conference tournament titles.
On Tuesday, while it won’t erase the loss, Scheyer was recognized for his efforts, being named the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division I Coach of the Year — an honor voted on annually by NABC member coaches across Division I.
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Scheyer spent nine seasons on Duke’s staff after playing four years for the program, learning under and being groomed by legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski.
When Coach K retired in 2022, Scheyer was handed the reins. While he has yet to reach or win a national championship, he has put together several impressive seasons and hasn’t missed a beat on the recruiting trail.
Duke’s Cameron Boozer was named NABC Player of the Year, marking the second consecutive season a Duke freshman has earned the honor, joining Cooper Flagg, who went on to become the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft.
Boozer was also named the Pete Newell Big Man of the Year and Freshman of the Year, becoming the first player ever to sweep the NABC Division I awards in the same season.
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