Beyond the Deep Run: Duke Focused on Taking the Next Step From Contender to Champion
DURHAM, N.C. — The confetti had long been swept away, the locker room cleared out. For most college basketball programs, a trip to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight, featuring a nail-biting, one-possession loss to the eventual national champion, would be framed as an unqualified success. A building block. A promise of a bright future.
But within the hallowed halls of the Cameron Indoor Stadium offices, the standard is different. The ghost of Coach K doesn’t linger on near-misses; it celebrates banners.
This is the central, defining challenge for Head Coach Jon Scheyer and his Duke Blue Devils as they navigate the 2024-25 offseason. The narrative is no longer about rebuilding or transitioning from a legend. After a 27-9 campaign and an ACC Tournament title, the “deep run” has been achieved. The question now echoing through Krzyzewskiville is a more demanding one: What’s the next step?
“We’re proud of what we accomplished last season, no doubt,” Scheyer said recently from his office, the hum of off-season conditioning drills faintly audible from below. “The resilience our guys showed, winning the ACC, battling to the very end… that’s part of our foundation. But the mission here isn’t to get close. The mission is to finish. We’ve tasted it, and now we’re hungry for the whole thing.”
That hunger is being fueled by a strategic shift in roster construction and a maturing core that understands the razor-thin margins at the sport’s summit.
The Anchor Returns: Filipowski’s Calculated Gamble
The catalyst for Duke’s elevated ceiling was the most significant decision of the offseason: the return of 7-foot center Kyle Filipowski. A projected first-round NBA draft pick, Filipowski’s choice to spurn the pros was a seismic event, not just for the ACC, but for the national landscape. He isn’t returning simply to improve his stock; he’s returning with unfinished business.
“Watching that final game from the bench, feeling that helplessness… it’s a feeling I never want again,” Filipowski stated, his demeanor more serious, more focused than during his freshman year. “I’ve been the talented young guy. Now, I need to be the leader. I need to be the guy who makes the game-winning stop, who demands the ball in the big moment. That’s the evolution for me, and for this team.”
His development is key. As a sophomore, Filipowski was a versatile, sometimes spectacular, offensive hub. The next step in his evolution involves defensive consistency and playing through physicality in the post—the very areas that were exploited in Duke’s tournament exit. Early reports from summer workouts indicate a player transformed, adding lean muscle and vocally directing defensive assignments.
Building Around a Core: Experience Meets Elite Talent
Scheyer’s second full recruiting class was, predictably, another top-tier haul. But the more telling story is the retention of key veterans, creating a blend that Duke lacked a year ago. Alongside Filipowski, guards Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster provide a backcourt with a full season of battle scars under their belts.
Proctor, in particular, has embraced his role as the team’s primary floor general. His late-season surge, where he displayed a newfound aggression and playmaking confidence, has carried over.
“Last year, we were figuring each other out on the fly,” Proctor said. “This summer, it’s different. We know each other’s tendencies, we know the system. The conversations aren’t about ‘what’ we should do, but ‘how’ we’re going to do it against specific opponents. That’s a huge advantage.”
This experienced core allows the incoming freshmen—a group headlined by the explosive scoring of guard Isaiah Evans and the defensive versatility of forward Cooper Flagg—to integrate without the burden of immediate saviorhood. They can be supplementary weapons, athletic sparks, rather than foundational pillars from day one.
The “Next Step” Philosophy: A Blueprint in the Details
So, what does the “next step” actually look like in practice? For Scheyer and his staff, it’s a granular focus that goes beyond simply “winning it all.”
1. Defensive Identity: Duke was a good defensive team last season. The goal is to become a great one. The emphasis this offseason has been on ball-screen coverage, limiting dribble penetration, and, most importantly, cultivating a collective defensive mindset. “We have the length and the athleticism,” said Associate Head Coach Chris Carrawell. “Now it’s about the will. It’s about taking pride in shutting down the other team’s best player every single night.”
2. Late-Game Execution: The loss to UConn was a masterclass in the fine margins of tournament basketball. A missed block-out, a rushed shot, a single defensive miscommunication. Duke’s offseason film sessions have been brutally honest, dissecting those final five minutes. They are implementing late-game situational drills daily, creating pressure-cooker scenarios in practice to foster a sense of calm when the lights are brightest.
3. Embracing the Target: As a contender, every opponent’s best shot is a given. Scheyer is preaching the mentality of a champion, which involves not just handling that pressure, but thriving on it. “We can’t be surprised when a team plays their A-game against us,” Scheyer noted. “We have to expect it. We have to welcome it. That’s the price of being at Duke. That’s the standard.”
The landscape of college basketball remains as chaotic as ever, with the transfer portal creating new contenders overnight. Yet, Duke finds itself in an enviable, yet pressurized, position. They are not a young, promising team anymore. They are a veteran-led, talent-rich juggernaut with a very specific, very public goal.
The journey from good to great is one thing. The journey from the precipice of a Final Four to the summit of a national championship is another entirely. It requires more than talent; it requires an obsession with the details, a resilience forged in heartbreak, and a collective will that refuses to be denied.
The deep run is in the past. For Jon Scheyer’s Blue Devils, the only step that matters now is the one onto the ladder, scissors in hand.
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