A Certain Percent Meter Used By Duke's HC Jon Scheyer

Duke's head coach, Jon Scheyer, is becoming one of the best coaches in college basketball. There is one method he likes to use to get the most out of his players.

Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer | Nell Redmond-theACC.com

The Duke Blue Devils basketball program this season is going to be one of the best once again. A lot of credit has to go to head coach Jon Scheyer and his coaching staff for once again putting together one of the best rosters, if not the best roster together heading into the new season.

Scheyer and Duke had a great season a year ago, but came up short of their ultimate goal. That goal was to win a National Championship. They came up short in the final four, but this season they are all in and will be going for it once again. Scheyer knows what it takes to get to the top of college basketball, and the progress he makes with his team is to get them to be the best they can be both on and off the court.

Oct 8, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke head coach Jon Scheyer answers questions from the media at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

Jon Scheyer on Doing the Little Things

Scheyer and the staff do a great job of getting their players prepared for anything these players will face on the court. They put them in the best position to find success and help this team get to the goals they are setting.

"Anyone entering Duke’s basketball program to play for Jon Scheyer is quickly indoctrinated in the coach’s’ “98 percent” rule," said Chip Alexander of The Herald Sun.

"Coaches in all sports urge their players to give a hundred percent. Scheyer’s way of thinking, of doing things, has a different twist to it."

Oct 3, 2025; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer is introduced during player introductions at the Countdown to Craziness at the Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

“It’s about having consistency, we call it 98 percent, in the plays you’re making without the ball,” Scheyer said last week at the ACC Tipoff. “As a player and coach, the best teams I was on were the teams that embrace and excel at the 98 percent. It’s the rebounding, the next-play mentality, the defense."

“We teach it in real time in practice, we watch film of it, and we’re consistent in that message.”

Oct 4, 2024; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils center court logo before the Countdown to Craziness at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

"The essence of the message is that in most cases, other than being a point guard, the ball is in the player’s hands only two percent of the time. Granted, any player can go off for 30 points and decide a game. But in most cases, winning and losing can be decided by the other 98 percent, the smaller things other than making a tough, contested 3-pointer or throwing down a massive jam that draws a second look on ESPN."

Oct 3, 2025; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer smiles during the Countdown to Craziness at the Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

“That’s a big adjustment for guys coming out of high school,” Scheyer said. “They have their hands on the ball a lot. That’s how they’re viewed, how they’re judged. Recruiting rankings are judged by when they have the ball in their hands."

“But high usage is a negative thing now. The NBA is looking for low usage guys, guys who can play without the ball.”

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