Jon Scheyer, Duke players talk win over SMU

Duke head basketball coach Jon Scheyer met with the media following his team’s win over SMU on Saturday afternoon in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Here’s what he told reporters.

DUKE HEAD COACH JON SCHEYER 

Opening Statement: 

“I would like to start by saying that it is a pretty special thing having the 2001 National Championship team back here. I was at that game, the  national championship. I was in the wrong section. I was in the Arizona section, believe it or not and I remember that team: the ultimate  drive-and-kick team. [They were] some of the greatest players ever to play college basketball and one of the greatest teams ever to play  college basketball. I wish we put a better performance on for those guys, because those guys had incredible toughness, and they played  incredibly unselfish and smart basketball. I thought our guys made the plays required to win.

“You’ve got to give SMU credit. [Jaden] Toombs had a big-time game. [B.J.] Edwards was really good stepping up with [Boopie] Miller being out. But we have to be better. That is the bottom  line. I have to help them be better. It starts with me, and we have to be steadier. We are a little bit like this [up and down] now, on a roller  coaster ride. For me, it’s growth and learning. What an opportunity to learn from a win, which is a blessing. To be 4-0 in our league is great,  but my thing is about growth and learning. We will get back to the film, get back to practice and continue to do that.

“I want to say one more  thing, I’m really proud of Cayden Boozer. What he did for us tonight [is that] he completely steadied us. He was terrific. [Patrick Ngongba II]  [matched] his career high, and we know Pat and how special of a player he can be. I thought they had a great response. You can get into  starting, you can get into all this other stuff, all this superficial stuff, [but] then those guys are pros. They had a great attitude, and they had  the two biggest plus-minuses in this game. I love seeing that.” 

On the decision behind Maliq Brown getting his first start for Duke and Dame Sarr back in the starting lineup:

“Defense. Yeah, defense from Dame and Maliq. Pat, obviously, is a big-time defender. Cayden has been a really good defender. Just trying to  get a spark, you know. Also, one of the things to look at, what we’ve done, is that Cayden hasn’t played as much with Pat and so we’re trying  to get some of the rotation in a better way. I mean, that’s really what it comes down to. I think we’re going to have a group that starts  differently going forward. I think we’re going to start differently in second halves. We have a different team. It’s not a clear set five. I think  that that’s a great part about this team, and then that is the thing we’ve got to figure out at the same time.” 

On the feeling after allowing SMU to shoot efficiently and what needs to change moving forward:

“Well, it’s hard to feel very good when they shoot 56% from the field all game. I thought there were some great sequences in the Louisville  game in the second half, but you have to adjust. You have to move on. You have to have a different scouting report now. SMU is a different  team, and they do different things. It has been an issue, and I think it gives teams life when we’re careless with the ball and then they get to  see the ball go in. Those are easy baskets and that has been a little bit of an issue for us. At the same time, we’re pushing [the ball] and  we’re not scoring. We had zero fast break points. I think there are some things for me, idealistically, how I would like us to play and want to  play, but also things that I have to be honest with myself and with our guys in the areas we are not being as good.

“I think our offense hurts  our defense and then obviously I could go through a whole lot of things about why a team shoots 55% from the field. It’s tough. Now, I thought there were some great sequences. Dame [Sarr] in that first half man, his defense was loud. That was a heck of a segment. Maliq [Brown], obviously, with his activity. But collectively, it is not there at the moment. You can go through and say, all right, it’s this guy’s  responsibility, or this guy’s responsibility, but ultimately, it’s all of ours. We have to turn the page and get there. That is the biggest thing.” 

On this Duke team’s character to win a game despite having room to grow: 

“This team has shown great character when it matters most. You know, we are 15-1. These guys have made big-time plays, got the stops when  required, but we haven’t yet learned the inflection points of a game. We come out to start the second half, a couple turnovers and now it  becomes a different game. I think it is just maturity. I think it’s learning how to still play with each other. Then there are things that, again,  as coaches, every team is different, so we’ve got to help them. I love coaching these guys, man. I want us to grow faster. We are halfway  through, and I want us to not have to learn from a loss or learn from a big setback. Tonight, we put ourselves in a position where, you know,  a play here, play there, that can happen.”

SOPHOMORE GUARD/FORWARD ISAIAH EVANS: 

On the return of the Duke Cameron Crazies: 

“I kinda forgot that the students got back, and when it filled up like it did, we knew it was going to be one of those games. It was  real electric today. It’s great to have that original Cameron feeling back.” 

On his last shot of the game: 

“It’s just elite play execution. It’s really hard guarding me and Cameron [Boozer’s] pick-and-roll with my shooting and his driving ability. It’s just a play that has been working for us.” 

On winning in front of the Duke 2001 National Champions: 

“It definitely means a lot to us. We knew that they were coming in, and nobody wants to lose in front of those guys. They did what  we’re trying to do, and so we were trying to impress them a little bit.” 

FRESHMAN FORWARD CAMERON BOOZER: 

On handling the pace of the game with leads: 

“I mean, we’ve got to be a lot better. It’s a great win against a great team. But we get leads and we kind of get comfortable, and  we’ve got to find a way to figure that out. We’ve got to figure out what we do when we get leads, because we’re not handling it well  right now.”