Jared McCain struggled to finish his answer.
The freshman guard entered the press conference with a towel on his head, as he and Jeremy Roach were visibly devastated after a 76-64 defeat to N.C. State in the Elite Eight.
“It meant everything to me to come here for [head coach Jon Scheyer] to believe in me, for my teammates to believe in me,” McCain said through sniffles and tears. “Especially in the beginning of the year when I felt like I couldn't get things going as a freshman, they instilled confidence in me, especially him right here,” nodding toward Scheyer.
Scheyer put a reassuring hand on McCain’s shoulder as he choked up. The entire locker room had a somber mood after the loss, but there was a key theme that stood out epitomized by McCain’s answer — the team’s love for Scheyer. We throw around the term “players’ coach” a lot, but it's clear that Scheyer’s presence makes a difference and he clearly has his team’s respect.
“The program is right where it left off,” senior guard Jeremy Roach said. “We've been in the top 10 in the country for both years. We got to the Elite Eight this year. People don't know how hard [Scheyer’s] job is, taking over after the GOAT. That's not easy work. Just give credit to him … I love him.”
“I love him,” Roach reiterated.
There have been narratives that this team isn’t tough, and especially after the Round of 32 loss last year against Tennessee, that comment was prominent all season. This tournament showed the opposite — the mental fortitude was particularly strong.
“Try being at Duke as a freshman and sophomore and battling your ass off in the tournament and then talk to me about being tough,” Scheyer said after the Houston win. “For me, these guys have shown every step of the way how tough they are mentally, physically.”
The Brotherhood is a community that Duke players certainly cherish, a supportive network for life. But with all of Duke’s notorious “villains,” it’s easy to take for granted the mental strength players like Christian Laettner and JJ Redick demonstrated when silencing doubters through four-year stints. Not everyone is built for that immediately, and they shouldn’t naturally be expected to. The words on the front of the jersey represent greatness, but also bring a unique pressure to perform.
That comes with the prestige of being a Blue Devil. But it's still nearly impossible for 18- or 22-year-olds to score at a high level game-in and game-out, especially with the barrage of criticism thrown at them. The response to adversity is what’s important.
“Every time we played bad and lost, they always responded and came back,” Scheyer said. “Part of the burden of wearing the jersey is the criticism that comes with that, and part of the amazing part about wearing this jersey is all the people that stick with you through those moments.”
It would have been easy for the team to unravel. Two losses to rival North Carolina and an abysmal showing at the ACC tournament against N.C. State brought many questions, with accusations of the season being over and some forecasting Duke as an early March Madness exit. But the Blue Devils turned inward and focused on staying confident and improving themselves, under the guidance of Scheyer’s leadership.
There are things teams can’t (directly) control on the basketball court — Cormac Ryan having the game of his career in the regular-season finale, Tyrese Proctor going 0-for-9 in the Elite Eight or Duke shooting 10-for-40 from deep in the last two N.C. State games.
However, there are things that you can, namely effort and defensive intensity. In the NCAA tournament, Duke flipped a switch on the defensive end. The Blue Devils might not have reached the Elite Eight without Proctor diving on the floor in the final minutes against Houston for a steal or closing out strong on the last possession. They competed on every possession, holding three straight teams under 55 points in the tournament, a feat nobody else accomplished.
“I feel like it’s just us playing hard. It sounds simple but when we play desperate, when we play like we want to win, like it could be our last, we can win a lot of games,” McCain said on the team’s adjustment in the tournament.
“A lot of people would have folded after the UNC and the N.C. State loss, but we kept fighting. We kept going,” Roach said. This group is so resilient. I can't thank them enough. These will be my brothers for the rest of my life.”
That play is a direct reflection of coaching, and every time Duke faltered this season, Scheyer turned to defense.
After a rough start and back-to-back road losses to Arkansas and Georgia Tech, the Blue Devils had a full week of practice for the first time all season. Scheyer mentioned that as a key week to reset and closely coach the players. Duke went on to win eight straight games in December and January and turned its season around.
“You just have to stay steady,” Scheyer said. “I tell our guys all the time — they probably get sick of hearing it — but you're not as bad as people say you are right now after you lose, and I tell them after wins you're not as good as people say you are. You just have to be really steady.”
That calm and steady leadership is exactly what the team needed. Despite four returning starters, Scheyer’s squad was still really young — the youngest team remaining in the tournament. This is only his second year on the job, but leadership is an active process and he has all the tools.
Scheyer embodied empathetic leadership in the N.C. State game. DJ Burns Jr. hit a tough turnaround over Kyle Filipowski’s outstretched arms, and he looked down in exasperation, wondering what else he could do.
Scheyer immediately turned to Filipowski, pointed at his chin and upward, saying “head up, next play.” The coach knew his star player needed a boost in confidence, just like everyone needs from time to time, even projected lottery picks. McCain, the embodiment of positivity on the team, turned to Scheyer after going through the bumps of a freshman campaign.
“He is always instilling confidence in us every day. Whether we're messing up or not, he just always has that strong face,” Roach said. A lot of people would have folded in this situation. All the criticism that people say, I mean, it's unacceptable.”
That guidance trickled down to the veterans on the team.
“I have to keep everyone steady when I need to, but I (also) know how to push buttons on certain guys,” Proctor said. “How to wrap my arm around certain guys, because everyone takes everything differently, not everyone's the same. You're not going to be able to speak to one guy how you can to another.”
Proctor hit the nail on the head. Scheyer has created an environment for his on-court leaders to grow and learn from him. Especially in today’s collegiate landscape, coaches struggle to command attention, but it's such an important part of basketball.
Criticize the loss and the lack of shooting down the stretch all you want, but I strongly caution against making broad accusations implying the loss was indicative of the program’s direction and calling the season a failure. It’s hard to reputably question the mental toughness of this Duke team especially with the pressure it faced and the response it gave. I get it, expectations are high with the talent on the roster, but I’m looking at the big picture and the signs are pointing in the right direction.
“You don't have to apologize for losing in the tournament,” Scheyer said. “Every team loses except one … I think our program couldn't be in a stronger place. I couldn't be more confident in where this thing is heading and what we're doing,” Scheyer said.
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Ranjan Jindal is a Trinity junior and sports editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.