Mike Krzyzewski is down to the final game — maybe two — of his storied career.
His is a coaching timeline that spans 47 years, including 42 spent prowling Cameron Indoor Stadium as the greatest coach in Duke (and, arguably) college basketball history. He earned that incredible longevity with equally astounding success, including 15 ACC Tournament championships, 13 ACC regular-season championships, 1,202 career victories, 101 NCAA Tournament victories, 13 Final Four berths and five national championships.
That has allowed him to become the third-oldest coach in the history of Division I basketball (75) and also its third-longest-tenured coach (47 years). All that is to say that Duke hasn't had to worry about who would replace Coach K for some time.
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Not until he announced his retirement ahead of the 2021-22 season, anyway. But, as has so often been the case in his career, Krzyzewski has a plan in place to ensure Duke's continued success — just, with him no longer leading the charge.
The man he chose as his successor: 34-year-old Jon Scheyer, a four-year player and long-time assistant who was a key member of two national championship teams in each of those roles.
Here's what you need to know about Scheyer, who must not only follow a legend, but also attempt to step out from under his shadow:
Who is replacing Coach K at Duke?
Krzyzewski has hand-picked Scheyer as the man to replace him following the completion of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Scheyer, a four-year player at Duke from 2006-10, returned to Durham in April 2013 as a special assistant following a brief playing career overseas. He was elevated to a full-time assistant in April 2014 and took over as associate head coach in in 2018 after Jeff Capel left the program to coach at Pitt.
He will become a first-time head coach when he takes over the position from Coach K in 2022-23, making him Duke's first such coach since Neill McGeachy in 1973. (His tenure lasted only one season, as he was fired following a 10-16 campaign in 1973-74).
Scheyer, of course, will likely be given significantly more leeway, not only because of the state Coach K has left it in (on the cusp of yet another national championship) but also for the he designated him as his successor. Scheyer also has his standout playing career at Duke going for him.
The 42nd-ranked player in the nation was part of Duke's 2006 signing class, which ranked fifth nationally and second in the ACC, per 247Sports' Composite ratings. Over the next four years, Scheyer helped the Blue Devils to a 115-29 record; four NCAA Tournament berths; one ACC regular-season championship; two ACC Tournament championships; and one NCAA Tournament championship.
The 6-5 guard from Northbrook, Ill., was a key member of those teams. Per his Duke bio, he's the only player in program history to score 2,000 points while tallying 500 rebounds, 400 assists, 250 3-pointers and 200 steals. The two-time team captain became a second-team All-America selection in 2009-10, averaging 18.2 points, 4.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game on Coach K's fourth national championship team. (He later was an assistant on his fifth in 2015).
MORE: Duke president wanted Tommy Amaker to replace Krzyzewski over Scheyer, book says
That said, Scheyer wasn't the only former player in contention to replace Krzyzewski. According to Ian O'Conner's book, "Coach K: The Rise and Reign of Mike Krzyzewski," Duke president Vincent Price wanted Tommy Amaker to succeed him.
Like Scheyer, Amaker was a four-year player and standout for Coach K from 1983-87. Likewise, he was an assistant to Coach K from 1988-97, which included teams that went to the Final Four every year from 1988-92 and 1994 (winning national championships in 1991-92).
Where Amaker stands apart from Scheyer is the fact he has his own head-coaching experience, at Seton Hall (1997-2001), Michigan (2001-07) and Harvard (2007-present). He has made the NCAA Tournament five times (once at Seton Hall and four times as Ivy League champion at Harvard).
Among other accolades, Amaker is Harvard's winningest coach in program history; got the Crimson their first Ivy League championship in 2011; got their its first NCAA Tournament victory in 2013; accounts for 10 of the program's 11 winningest seasons; and seven of its eight 20-win seasons.
Per O'Conner's book, however, Krzyzewski thought the only way for Amaker to succeed him as coach was to already be on staff — meaning he would need to be an assistant (knocking someone else from their position) and creating a potentially awkward situation with Scheyer. Via ESPN:
Sources told O'Connor that, eventually, Krzyzewski called Amaker in what the book describes as 'a very difficult conversation' with his former assistant, who had been gone from Duke for 25 years. During it, he told Amaker that if he came back, he'd have to be an assistant for a year (bumping another assistant off the bench) and that it would create an 'awkward dynamic with Scheyer.'
'Mike had to explain to Tommy why he couldn't be the guy,' one Duke source said, according to the book. 'He can be Don Corleone when he needs to be.' Eventually, Amaker decided not to take the job. Someone close to him, O'Connor writes, said he was 'heartbroken' not to get the job. Scheyer was eventually announced as the successor.
MORE: Scheyer's impending role as head coach will reveal whether Duke or Coach K is the true blue blood
Regardless, Scheyer has seemingly stepped up to the task of replacing Coach K. That includes putting together what currently ranks as the nation's top-rated recruiting class of 2023, which comprises five-star players Caleb Foster, Jared McCain and Sean Stewart. (Scheyer is now the one who hosts recruits and their families on recruiting visits).
Krzyzewski has eased back in other areas over the last several seasons to prepare Scheyer to take over full-time in 2022-23. That includes allowing him to fill in as Duke's head coach at summer tournaments and showcases. Scheyer also took over for Krzyzewski in January 2021 against Boston College, leading the Blue Devils to an 83-82 victory while Coach K was out due to contact tracing after a family member contracted COVID-19.
"Jon has done everything, and in the last few years, we've taken it up to another level," Krzyzewski said in his news conference to announce his retirement. "He's one of the smartest coaches in the country, to be quite frank. Nobody knows that as much as I know it."