Duke Basketball Guards Name Scariest Members of Blue Devil Staff

First-year Duke basketball player Deron Rippey Jr. wasted no time with his answer.

Feb 10, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer reacts on the court against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first half at Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Duke basketball senior transfer John Blackwell, returning sophomore Cayden Boozer, and freshman Deron Rippey Jr. gathered for the latest episode of The Brotherhood Podcast this week and offered a bunch of fun insights into what goes on behind the scenes with fifth-year head coach Jon Scheyer, his staff, and the preseason No. 2-ranked Blue Devils. During the quick-answer segment of the three uniquely talented guards' chat, they appeared to particularly enjoy their exchange about the coaches.

Boozer, serving as a go-to host of the podcast this season, presented the Halloween-themed question: "Scariest coach when [the team] is having a bad practice?"

"Ty," Rippey, fresh off tallying a game-high 21 points with his electrifying performance in Tuesday night's 103-64 exhibition home win over the Tennessee Volunteers, instantly responded with a bit of a frightened grin in referring to 2010-14 Duke basketball guard and second-year Blue Devil assistant Tyler Thornton.

Neither Boozer nor Blackwell agreed with Rippey's answer, as Boozer characterized Thornton's mad reactions as more of the "trolling" nature.

"Ty don't be trolling me, bro," Rippey hilariously interjected after, just moments earlier in their conversation, explaining that he has grown as a defender since arriving in Durham as a result of his frequent one-on-one film sessions with Thornton, who averaged 2.5 steals per 40 minutes of action when he was a Blue Devil senior in 2013-14.

Blackwell and Boozer on Why Duke Basketball Head Coach Is 'Scariest'

Blackwell and Boozer, who have drawn the starting backcourt roles for the Blue Devils in each of their first two preseason outings, both seemed to understand why Rippey would view Thornton as the scariest in light of all the individual attention he receives from him. That said, they were in agreement that Jon Scheyer stands out in this regard due to his ability to instantly flip the switch between his demeanors in practice.

Mar 12, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer with guard Cayden Boozer (2) in the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"The thing is, Scheyer is always so composed," Boozer noted, "so when he get's mad..."

"You just know he's mad," Blackwell said to complete Boozer's sentence. "Like, you know you did something."

At that point in their discussion, it came as a bit of a surprise that none of them had mention one of the Blue Devils' two associate head coaches in Emanuel Dildy. After all, a no-nonsense expression has been on Dildy's face ever since joining Scheyer's staff ahead of the 2023-24 Duke basketball campaign.

At the end of that segment, though, Boozer did make sure to mention Dildy.

"I would say Dildy," Boozer joked, "but Dildy is low-key always mad."

The Duke basketball coaches and players traveled to Kansas on Saturday, practicing in the famed Allen Fieldhouse in preparation for their final exhibition. Scheyer's Blue Devils face the No. 17 Kansas Jayhawks at 1 p.m. ET Sunday (ESPN).