Jon Scheyer Gets Emotional After Final Game with His Team: ‘I’m Heartbroken’
Duke head coach Jon Scheyer was visibly emotional following the Blue Devils’ loss to the Houston Cougars in the Final Four — the first under his leadership. The defeat likely marks the end of the road at Duke for standout players like Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach, and possibly Tyrese Proctor as well. Inexperience ultimately cost Duke in the closing moments of the game, and it showed.
Analyst Gary Parrish noted that Scheyer seemed aware it was his final time coaching this specific group, saying, “This is it for this team. In college basketball, you usually only get one shot with a particular group… You could see it in Scheyer’s expression — he knew they let one slip away.”
Scheyer, understandably emotional in the postgame press conference, was especially heartbroken given how close his team came to reaching the national championship — just seconds away from that chance.
“I couldn’t be prouder… We’re not going to hang our heads. This is part of the journey. You have to learn to handle the wins and the losses,” he said. “We were right there. We believed we were the best team — but tonight, Houston proved to be better. Credit to them.”
With Duke ranked No. 1 in The Sporting News’ way-too-early Top 25 for next season, thanks to another stacked freshman class, the future looks bright. Still, this particular team held something special — something that made Scheyer tear up when speaking to students after the game.
“I’m heartbroken for the guys… this was our first loss at full strength since November,” Scheyer said, his voice breaking.
Despite a strong season, the painful ending will linger, becoming a defining memory of what might have been.
