Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer ‘couldn’t be more proud’ of Isaiah Evans in viral clip
· Yahoo Sports
DURHAM — Duke basketball’s Isaiah Evans has experienced growth as a scorer and defender, but another area of the sophomore's growth was evident in the Blue Devils’ marquee win against Michigan.
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The full video of the “Duke Blue Planet” episode from the 68-63 victory against the Wolverines has more than 27,000 views on the Blue Devils’ official YouTube page. But a 47-second clip of the halftime locker room went viral on X (formerly known as Twitter), racking up more than 538,000 views.
With Duke nursing a 35-33 lead against Michigan, the video shows Evans inside the locker room, standing and writing on a whiteboard with a dry erase marker, breaking down how the Blue Devils needed to be better defensively at shrinking the floor against the Wolverines.
“Couldn’t be more proud of just that moment, with our guys taking ownership, with Isaiah doing that. I think the thing that I’ve found is: I think it’s very clear that a player-led team is better than a coach-led team,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said on Thursday, Feb. 26, inside the Bill Brill Media Room at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
On a team that had to replace its entire starting lineup and five NBA Draft picks, the growth of Evans continues to elevate as the top-ranked Blue Devils (26-2, 14-1 ACC) prepare for a matchup with No. 11 Virginia (25-3, 13-2) on Saturday, Feb. 28 (Noon, ESPN), at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Accountability and coaching from players in the halftime locker room is a championship team quality. Keep it rolling @DukeMBBpic.twitter.com/qvxPktbaud
— DukeBallMinisterOfPropoganda (@DukePropoganda) February 24, 2026
“I think it’s: How do you try to put them in position where you give them a voice. I think you find yourself, as a coach, a lot of time when you’re talking at them,” Scheyer said.
“I think we’ve done a really good job as a staff of just taking a step back and thinking about: How can we empower them to take ownership over this? You can do that all you want, and they still may not do it.”
But Evans and the Blue Devils are doing it, seeing and realizing what needs to be accomplished in real time to reach their goals. The Fayetteville native is averaging 14.5 points and 3 rebounds, but the influence has gone far beyond counting stats.
“In high school, where a lot of these guys put their value toward scoring (and) shooting, to see that come a long way in terms of understanding what were the impacts of winning, and to see the things that they talk about and how they get on each other and how they hold each other accountable to that, just makes my job … I’m really fortunate to be able to coach these guys,” Scheyer said.
Duke has 11 Quadrant 1 victories, including nine wins against top-25 teams. If the Blue Devils beat the Cavaliers, they’ll close in on consecutive ACC regular-season championships for the first time since the 2000-01 seasons.
Evans and his teammates have a chance to create more growth moments in games, but the impressive part for Scheyer is the consistency of creating those moments in practice and seeing it translate.
“I love that that moment was shared, where you can see the interactions, where they’re doing that every day,” Scheyer said. “In practice, we’re gonna go and they’re gonna have the same interactions. That’s what I love about these guys.”
Rodd Baxley covers North Carolina Tar Heels athletics for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding UNC? Send them to [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Isaiah Evans moment for Duke basketball that made Jon Scheyer 'proud'