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John Scheyer on Coaching Players Hard

5 Sept 2025 · 1 min

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John Scheyer says coaching players hard comes from honesty, not hostility. He learned this from Coach K and the Duke coaching culture: confront players with truth, be yourself, and accept that a head coach won't always be liked. Respect comes from caring enough to tell them what they need to hear.

How important is it to you to be honest with guys both in the recruiting process, that you're going to coach them hard and then to follow through on it when they get to Duke and coach them hard?
Well, to me, it's.
It's the only way.
You can have success. And it's.
Part of how I was raised as a player.
Getting that from Coach K and Chris Collins and Steve.
Wojciechowski.
And Johnny Dawkins every single day.
So it's part of who we are. It's part of the culture.
And for me.
I've had the biggest breakthroughs as.
A player and now as.
A coach, when.
You have those confrontations and they don't always have to be.
Hostile, but.
It does need to be based on truth.
And so.
I'm glad I've been able.
To go through that with. With our guys.
And I'm always going to be myself.
That's who I am.
And I think in the day, you find out very quickly as a head coach, you're not going to be liked all the time, and.
You have to accept that.
But I do think if you're always honest and.
Show that you care, you'll always have the respect.
And that's.
Something that I always hope to have.