The connections between Northwestern head coach Chris Collins and Duke head coach Jon Scheyer are plentiful. Both were named Illinois Mr. Basketball at Glenbrook North High School (Collins in 1992, Scheyer in 2006), went on to become All-ACC players at Duke and now are the head coaches of Power Four basketball teams.
Collins was an associate coach at Duke from 2000 until he was hired by Northwestern in 2013. He recruited Scheyer to Durham in 2006, and four years later, the Blue Devils won their fourth National Championship. Under head coach Mike Krzyzewski and assistant Collins, Scheyer became a consensus Second-Team All-American in 2010.
Now the head coach at his alma mater, Scheyer has the Blue Devils in the Final Four for the first time since Krzyzewski’s retirement in 2022. Entering the National Semifinals, Duke is 35-3 behind stellar freshman Cooper Flagg, and Scheyer has received his flowers for the Blue Devils’ dominance…