Duke’s fairytale final season for head coach Mike Krzyzewski fell short of their ultimate goal of a national championship, losing to North Carolina in the Final Four.
The program is now set to go through a significant change without Coach K, with associate head coach Jon Scheyer now taking over the program in the 2022-23 season. Scheyer will need to pick up where Krzyzewski finished and keep them as the powerhouse basketball program that they have been over the years.
The program also lost top assistant Nolan Smith this month, as he heads to Louisville. However, Duke continues to fill the coaching holes within the program as they’ve announced one of Scheyer’s assistants for next season.
The school announced on Tuesday that former Duke player Amile Jefferson will become an assistant coach going forward.
OFFICIAL: @AmileJefferson named Assistant Coach! pic.twitter.com/5DuMWRwT3I
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) April 12, 2022
Jefferson played a big role as he was a part of the program as a player from 2012-2017. He rejoined the program this past season as the director of player development and will now be getting a huge promotion.
The longtime Dukie also released a statement, thanking Coach K for his role in bringing him on originally as well as thanking Scheyer for giving him this big opportunity.
“I’m deeply honored and excited to be here and be part of this team that Jon Scheyer is building,” said Jefferson. “I feel a special bond and connection to Durham, our fans, and our entire Duke family. Being here means the world to me. I want to extend my appreciation to Coach K for the opportunity to begin my coaching career last year, and I’m grateful for Jon for allowing me to continue it.”
This news has gotten many fans around the Duke program excited about what Jefferson can offer in a bigger role going forward.
Congratulations @AmileJefferson on your promotion. https://t.co/boNTUbfFIE
— Billy King (@bkdefend) April 12, 2022
As expected, a well deserved promotion. Congrats to Amile!
Duke still has one assistant coach vacancy remaining https://t.co/yZ3irhvCGg
— Mark Stouffer (@MarkAStouffer) April 12, 2022
https://twitter.com/madhartman/status/1513895773771120642
Jefferson has risen up the ranks in his coaching career quite quickly. It certainly seems like his deep ties with a storied program like Duke is paying off for him. We’ll find out what kind of impact he can have on the sidelines next season.
[Duke Men’s Basketball] Photo Credit: https://goduke.com/news/2022/4/12/mens-basketball-amile-jefferson-promoted-to-assistant-coach.aspx
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.