Five-star Duke signees discuss their belief in Jon Scheyer
Duke’s 2023 recruiting class, which ranks No. 2 overall by On3, all committed to Jon Scheyer prior to him coaching his first game as the head men’s basketball coach.
Five-star Sean Stewart of Montverde (FL) Academy was the first 2023 prospect to commit to first-year head coach Jon Scheyer.
“Coach Scheyer related to me really well,” Stewart said. “He is a young coach, and he has been at Duke for nine years before he even coached this year. He was under Coach Krzyzewski all that time, and he played four years at Duke. He’s such a great guy; he gets along with everyone in my family. I just love him.”
Five-star Mackenzie Mgbako of Roselle (NJ) Roselle Catholic was the third player to commit to Scheyer in the 2023 class. The small forward echoed many of the same things as Stewart.
“It was his approach,” Mgbako said. “Coming in as someone who played the game, and how he spoke so highly of what he can do for our team coming in. I was sold on the idea he could develop me into a better player.”
Five-star Jared McCain was the second 2023 prospect to commit to Scheyer. The guard from Corona (CA) Centennial High School shared some of the same thoughts.
“Coach has been my biggest supporter since he offered me since he started talking to me,” McCain said. “A lot of the other coaches get on their players, but Coach Scheyer just comes with that nicer approach, and I feel like that has helped his team.”
Duke started the season strong. The Blue Devils had seven freshman on the roster and two players in the rotation transferring in from different programs. They hit a mid-season snag dropping six of 13 games from December 20 to February 11.
“Things started kind of slow,” Mgbako said. “With Dariq (Whitehead) being injured, he was supposed to be one of the main guys coming into the season. The way he coached them throughout the season showed how capable he is of being a good coach, like Coach Krzyzewski.”
Duke finished the year on a nine-game win streak, winning the ACC Tournament and grabbing a five-seed in the NCAA Tournament. The expectations from the recruiting class are high for next season, as they expect the team to make a run to the finals.
“My expectation is probably a chip,” Mgbako said. “With Tyrese (Proctor) coming back, we have a really talented class, and I can’t wait to show y’all what we can do.”
Earlier on Monday, the Blue Devils got the news that freshman guard Tyrese Proctor would be returning. This is a week after senior center Ryan Young also said he would be coming back.
“It’s great to have (Proctor) back, an experienced guard, someone who has been through it,” Stewart said. “He’ll be really good to help the guards coming in. I think, we can go to the championship for sure.”
Duke’s 2023 class is currently No. 2 in the On3 Team Rankings. Along with Mgbako and Stewart, No. 15 CG Jared McCain, No. 19 PG Caleb Foster, and No. 23 PF TJ Power round out Duke’s class.