02/25/2009 - Al Featherston, GoDuke.com

DURHAM, N.C. – Jon Scheyer has always been a versatile player.
           
Back when he was recruited out of Northbrook, Ill., some ill-informed recruiting commentators tried to compare the two-time Illinois prep player of the year with recent Duke All-American J.J. Redick. But Blue Devil assistant coach Chris Collins, an earlier product of the same Glenbrook North program that produced Scheyer, suggested that former standout Mike Dunleavy was a better comparison.

“Jon has been a guy who scores a lot of points, yes,” Collins said back in 2006. “A lot of people are going to expect him, because of his size and the kind of points he put up in high school, that he’s going to be another J.J. Redick. That’s really not his game. He’s more of an all-around guard. He does a lot of things incredibly well. He’s a great ballhandler.”

Now, three years later, it’s clear that Collins knew exactly what he was talking about. Scheyer has been a very good shooter and scorer in his career (averaging 12.2, 11.7 and now 13.9 points in his three seasons), but his strength has been his versatility. He’s rebounded well (just under four rebounds a game for his career). He’s handled the ball well (221 assists and just 133 turnovers in his career). He’s defended well.

In fact, Scheyer has done almost everything – except what he’s doing now.

After almost three seasons as a wing player in the Duke rotation, the junior tri-captain has moved to point guard, where he’s at the center of a revamped rotation that Coach Mike Krzyzewski has fashioned to re-energize the Blue Devil team for its stretch run.

“I feel comfortable with it,” Scheyer said of his new role. “It’s something that I’ve done at practice a lot throughout the year. I think that can give our team some advantages on offense.”

It’s early, but the early signs are that the new lineup – with Scheyer at the point and with freshman Elliot Williams moving into the starting rotation – has been a success. Duke tried it out in a 76-69 victory over St. John’s in Madison Square Garden, then used it last Sunday night in a scintillating 101-91 victory over No. 8 ranked Wake Forest in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Scheyer was at the center of both wins. He had 18 points in 37 minutes against the Red Storm, then hit a career-high 30 in 37 minutes against the Deacons. Maybe more importantly, he had just one turnover in those 37 minutes at point guard – and even that wasn’t a ballhandling error, but an offensive foul for an illegal screen.

“He’s a better ballhandler than he gets credit for,” Maryland coach Gary Williams said of Scheyer. “I think he came into the league with this big rep as a scorer – which he is – but he’s a very good ballhandler. He’s very calm. He doesn’t seem to get shook, no matter what happens during the game.”

***

Scheyer showed his class early at Duke.

He started 32 of 33 games as a freshman, hitting double figures 23 times – his high of 26 coming against North Carolina in Cameron. Despite his freshman success, Krzyzewski decided to use the multi-skilled wing man as Duke’s sixth man in 2007-08. Scheyer started just one game as a sophomore, but finished third on the team in minutes played and fourth in scoring. He also finished fourth in rebounding, third in assists and third in steals. He was the best free throw shooter on the team and the second-best three-point shooter.

“If I had to do it over again, I wouldn’t have put him in a sixth man role [last season],” Krzyzewski said. “But I thought he handled that really well. Jon is the kind of guy who will do anything you want him to do to help the team. And he does that every day. He’s consistent in his commitment to his team.”

Scheyer’s commitment to this year’s team started last summer, when he returned to his home in the Chicago suburbs and worked out with a number of NBA players, including the Bulls’ Ben Gordon.

“I had never seen a scorer like him in person,” Scheyer said of the former UConn guard. “Going up against him, he’s a great player. It was a good summer for me. I just wanted to get better and stronger. I wanted to improve my overall game.”

Although Scheyer has had to work his way through a mid-season shooting slump, his overall game never slacked off. That is one of the things that impressed Krzyzewski the most.

“I think Jon is a kid who could become a coach,” Coach K said. “He loves the game and loves learning the game. I think he’s adjusted his game to where he’s able to score against guys who are better athletes than he is and to use his head. He’s made good adjustments. Jon has been very, very dependable for us. And a good leader.”

That’s why the Duke coach was not afraid to turn to Scheyer after back-to-back losses to North Carolina and Boston College seemed to stagger the Blue Devils.
         
“The main thing is we needed to have toughness on the court,” Scheyer said. “We needed to play defense and we needed to attack. Whatever our lineup was going to be, Coach wanted to put a team out there that was going to do that.”
           
Williams added defensive energy from his guard spot. Scheyer has added a steady hand at the point. He’s not worried about being pressured.
           
“If there is somebody pressuring me, I’m going to hit Kyle [Singler] or Gerald [Henderson] or Elliot,” he said. “I’m not going to turn the ball over in fullcourt. I’m going to get us into our offense. From that point on, we should have an advantage because I’m going to have a point guard on me and I can shoot over him. It just opens things up for our team.”
           
That was a point Krzyzewski made – that opposing point guards will now have to deal with the 6-5 Scheyer in the halfcourt.
           
“It will be different matchups for me,” Scheyer said. “I need to work on and to think about what shots will be better. But I think the main thing is it will give me more shot opportunities – more open shots and better shots.”
           
Is it a coincidence that barely 48 hours after uttering those words, Scheyer went out and scored 30 points against Wake Forest, hitting 8-of-16 shots from the floor. Obviously, he figured something out.
           
“I think Jon Scheyer – the young man gets a tremendous amount out of his ability,” Deacon coach Dino Gaudio said after Sunday’s game. “Everybody talks about playing the game hard, which a lot of kids do. But I think he needs to be complimented on how he really plays the game smart. You’ve got to play hard, but you’ve got to play intelligently and I think that kid really does that. He reads screens really well – Duke has gone to much more motion offense than earlier. I think that’s very conducive to his game.”

“I think that’s a big reason he’s so successful. Because he doesn’t only play the game from the shoulders down ... he plays it from the shoulders up.”

Scheyer is trying to put that intelligence to use as the season winds down – or maybe ‘winds up’ is more appropriate, considering the vital importance of games in March. He’s played on two teams that faded down the stretch after very strong starts.

He doesn’t want to see that happen again.

“I think we’ve got to answer that,” Scheyer said. “This is the part of the season where we can either change it or have it be the same thing. Gerald and I talk about it – and Kyle some too. It is up to us. That’s something we feel in control of. We feel we can change it. It started at St. John’s. We just have to take it game by game and not put so much pressure on ourselves.”

The late change in Duke’s playing rotation has created such consternation in national circles. ESPN commentator Hubert Davis argued that teams that change point guards in late February don’t win championships. Sitting beside him at the time was former Duke guard Jason Williams, who quickly pointed out that his 2001 Blue Devil team won the ACC and national titles after inserting freshman point guard Chris Duhon into the starting lineup in the final game of the regular season.

That’s not to suggest that Scheyer and [Elliot] Williams are this season’s [Jason] Williams and Duhon. But Duke’s 2001 experience indicates that a late-season shakeup is not necessarily a bad thing.

“The season becomes so long, it’s almost like a fresh look,” Scheyer said. “It has a different look, a different feel to it. Especially for me, I’m in a new position. But also for the team in general. Sometimes you need something mid-year or near the end of the year where you see something new like Elliot, emerging and having some great minutes for us. It’s exciting.

“It’s almost like a new season in a way.”

A new season and a new position for Duke’s most versatile player – will that lead to renewed postseason success for Krzyzewski’s program?