Duke HC Jon Scheyer gets 100% real about his role in helping Isaiah Evans make "an important decision" in his life

Duke coach Jon Scheyer opened up about the behind-the-scenes conversations he had with Isaiah Evans, revealing how the pair worked through one of the most important decisions of the young guard’s life.

In a video posted by Carolina Blitz on Instagram on Wednesday, Scheyer shared how meaningful those talks were, especially after Duke’s season ended.

“Some of the conversations I'll cherish the most this season were after the year with Isaiah,” Scheyer said. “Because it wasn't just telling each other what we wanted to hear. It was about his life, this is an important decision for his life and what he does next.”

Evans, one of Duke’s promising guards, had a serious choice to make, whether to declare for the NBA Draft or stay back and work on his game. Scheyer praised the way Evans and his inner circle handled the process.

“I thought he handled it in a really mature way, him, his mom, his circle," Scheyer said. "Just of allowing him to make this decision for himself and not be in a hurry. He shouldn't just be drafted, you should be ready when that time comes.”

Scheyer made it clear that the decision was never about pressure or persuasion, but truth and growth.

“I think I had to show him, just get him to understand what that picture looked like. That's our responsibility as a coaching staff... But I love those conversations. I think those conversations set the foundation for what he can do this season.”

He also touched on the chaos of the transfer portal and external influences.

“With Isaiah, in his case, he had a decision about going pro… I just want for him to enjoy this, not put the weight of the world on his shoulders, be present, and he's gonna be terrific for us.”

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Jon Scheyer addresses the impact of losing all five starters from last season

The Duke head coach saw Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Khaman Maluach, Tyrese Proctor and Sion James, all selected in the 2025 NBA draft. Those were key members of his starting five and during a press conference on Tuesday, he spoke about how losing them affected his rotation rebuild.

"We knew we'd have a chance to have five guys drafted...we also knew that's a lot of firepower to replace. And the best way to do that, in my mind right away, was to get Caleb Foster to come back, to get Isaiah Evans to come back. Pat [Ngongba], Darren [Harris], Maliq [Brown]. And then to solidify Nik [Khamenia], Cayden [Boozer], and Cam [Boozer]. You know, we knew that that was a great eight-man roster."

Jon Scheyer will be hoping this set can go all the way in 2025-26 after Duke saw their journey end in the Final Four last season.