Jon Scheyer: "It's Not Okay to Have a Night Like This"
No. 16 Duke head coach Jon Scheyer met with the media following the Blue Devils' 84-60 loss to NC State Wednesday evening.
NOTE: Click on the video in the player above to watch Scheyer’s press conference.
Opening Statement
Well obviously, that was not a good night for us and a great night for them. Congratulations to State; they outplayed us really in every facet. Their guards controlled the game. They outfought us. We knew they would be a really hungry team, coming off a couple of tough losses. We’ve known they were a dangerous team. They’ve been right there with some of the best teams in the country, and we have a lot of respect for them. That was not a good enough performance or effort on our part. That’s on me. Unfortunately, there have been moments I’ve been through as a player and as a coach where you have a night like this, and it’s not okay. It’s not okay to have a night like this. For us to learn from it, we’ve got to grow and change. I take responsibility for that as a coach. This is disappointing. It’s a disappointing night, but credit to them. We’re 2-2, and there’s still 16 games left in the ACC. There’s a long way to go. We have to learn from this though.
On where he felt the game got away from Duke…
It’s hard to point to one thing. It was basically everything. It was our defense. It was not being strong enough. It was their defense that got us out of sync. For us not being in this environment before, when it went that way, we didn’t stick together the way that you have to. The times where we executed, made passes, and had some poise, we actually got to the paint and got some good shots, but there were too many empty possessions. We knew going in that they were great at creating turnovers. We had 21. That’s not going to get it done against anybody, especially not these guys.
On his team’s toughness…
I never go into any game thinking we’re going to get blown out like this. You feel you’re going to win, and I thought we had two good days of preparation. I told our guys, “We all have to look ourselves in the mirror, me included. What did we do to prepare? What did we do in this game, whether it’s an hour before or a day before?” [And I told them] to learn and grow from this, but I was not expecting that.
On his team’s self-professed timidness…
You need to be aggressive. The questions you guys are asking me and the things that we’re talking about, that doesn't get you a win. That puts you in the game. You still have to execute; you still have to know the game plan or scouting report. You’re defending two big-time players in [Terquavion] Smith and [Jarkel] Joiner, and for us, we have to figure that out. That can’t be the way. That’s not how I’ve approached this team. That’s not how I’ve played or coached. I want these guys to play that way. I want them to be aggressive and go for it. We have to do that. That’s the bottom line.
On losing back-to-back road games…
It’s hard to have a great perspective right now when you’re in the moment, and you’re disappointed, to say the least, with the loss, but you know it’s a long year. I knew this when I took the job that there’s gonna be some moments like this where people can doubt you. They can doubt us as a team. Sometimes, the best way to learn is to experience it. For this group in particular, to experience this game, to experience playing on the road, you wish you were 2-0 on the road or 4-0 in conference, but that’s not how it works. For us, it’s all about how you learn from it and how you grow from it, and that’s how I’m going to approach it.
On the keys to turn around the road-game woes…
I don’t know if I can give you the two or three things. If we had all night, I could give you a lot more. For us, it starts with our mindset. It starts with how we come out. In both games against Wake and against NC State, you could see right away with our fight and competitive nature, and we haven’t been that way. We’ve competed in every game we’ve played this season outside of these two games [where] we didn’t put up the same fight. I don’t have all the answers right now. I’m going to digest, watch the film, and talk with the staff, and we’ll continue to have a great plan. There’s a huge sense of urgency. Boston College has won two games at home in the ACC, and they’re a really good team. We have to do that.
On the theme in Duke’s back-to-back road losses…
The theme is that they outcompeted us, and they outplayed us. That’s not okay
On his first-half calmness…
You felt I was calm… I’ve been in a lot of games in the ACC where we’re down, and you come back and win. It’s about navigating the game, so it’s not about going into panic mode or anything else other than trying to figure out how to win the next possession, and then you’ve got to win the possession after that. That’s where my mind goes. Clearly, there’s a lot that’s happening in those moments. You can’t point to one thing on either side of the ball. There’s a lot going on there, and they had a lot to do with that. I’m not taking anything away from them. I give them a lot of credit. They were hungrier, and they did all the right things, but for me, that’s where my mind goes: “How can you win?"