Jon Scheyer Explains Return to Duke Over Taking Dallas Mavericks Job

When the Dallas Mavericks let go of Jason Kidd earlier in the offseason, one of the many names they tried to persuade to take the job was Duke's head coach, Jon Scheyer.

The Mavericks have a few former Blue Devils that Scheyer has a lot of familiarity with, as he coached Dereck Lively II and Cooper Flagg in college, and was the starting point guard for Duke right before Kyrie Irving got there.

There has been some NBA buzz with Scheyer in the past, but the familiarity with the Mavericks' stars made it feel a little different this time.

However, the Mavericks ended up hiring former Michigan coach Dusty May, who was fresh off winning a national championship, as Scheyer decided to stay in Durham. He gave a little insight into that decision on the "Glue Guys" podcast with former Duke star Shane Battier and former NFL first overall pick Alex Smith.

"Anybody that knows me, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself not seeing this thing through," Scheyer started. "I mean, that’s just the bottom line.

“I’m at a one-of-one place where not often you get your dream job when you’re 33, and that’s what happened to me,” he added. “I’m really proud of the start we’ve got off to, and the continuation of what has been built here. But I think we’ve got so much left to do. I just think we’ve got so much left to accomplish.”

Scheyer has been Duke's head coach for four seasons, but they've only made the Final Four once, and that was with Cooper Flagg in 2025. They could've (and arguably should've) won a national championship that year, but they fell in the semifinals despite leading Houston 67-61 with 42 seconds remaining.

Until Scheyer is able to reach the mountaintop at Duke, he's probably not going anywhere.

Mar 26, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer speaks with the media during a press conference ahead of the east regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Did Mavericks Hire the Right College Coach?

If Jon Scheyer had been more interested in the job, it would've been interesting to see who the Mavericks preferred more.

Scheyer has a lot of relationships around the NBA because of the talent Duke produces, but May's success has been more impressive. He took Florida Atlantic to a Final Four before taking over Michigan and winning a championship in his second season.

May still has plenty of NBA connections and has built a staff that includes a former NBA head coach, Willie Green.

Either way, it's a shot in the dark to hire a college coach who has no previous NBA coaching experience.

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