DURHAM — If there’s one thing a point guard wants to avoid, it’s the turnover. Unfortunately for Duke’s Jeremy Roach, that’s all that’s around him this season.
Roach returns for his junior year at Duke, but everything around him is brand new.
There’s a high-profile coaching change, as Hall of Fame head coach Mike Krzyzewski retired following last season’s trip to the Final Four. Longtime assistant Jon Scheyer takes over after a year in waiting. Observers wonder how the transition will go, but the only one transitioning will be Roach.
From last season’s team, only 16% of the minutes played are returning to this year’s roster, and 92% of those were logged by Roach. He also scored 336 of the 358 points that return from last season. Jaylen Blakes, who played sparingly as a freshman last season, and little-used walk-ons Stanley Borden and Spencer Hubbard are the only other members of this year’s team who have played for Coach K.
“We have different ages on the team, different backgrounds,” Scheyer said. “We have four graduate transfers, we have seven freshmen and they get along; you wouldn’t know who’s who. I think that’s the cool part for this group is that chemistry is there. They like one another.”
The person primarily responsible for developing that chemistry on the floor is Roach, who has a new leadership role as the senior member of the team.
“It’s changed a lot,” Roach said of his role. “I knew coming into this year that I was the only returning player who has played big minutes, so Scheyer’s just been harping on me to be the leader, show guys where to be, how to do things around campus, and just different things around the campus that I have to do now that I kind of wasn’t doing before. So it’s definitely been good.”
Scheyer likes what he’s seen from Roach thus far.
“Jeremy is going great,” he said. “Jeremy is in a great spot right now. You know, Jeremy, he’s in a new position, not only with his role on the team and his experience from coming off of last year. We have a great relationship, but he’s figuring out what I’m like as a head coach and the things that I’m looking for him to do. Hopefully that means it can be exciting because it’s not like he’s just doing the same thing. It’s a different role, and he’s done a great job.”
Coach K always emphasized the importance of talking and communication on the floor, which is an area where Roach has struggled at times. But he’s trying to become more vocal.
“The strength I bring as a leader is I’ve been here,” he said. “I’ve been to a Final Four. I know what to expect and how to build a championship team — what to do every day during practice, to have that hunger every day.”
“I think Jeremy’s not a guy that necessarily is going be the loudest on the floor all the time, but he has great experience,” Scheyer said. “He’s been a winner his whole life, so he knows what it takes to win. I would just encourage him to follow his instincts, continue to talk, continue to lead — not just by example, but continuing to be comfortable using his voice and whatever way that means.”
Freshman big man Dereck Lively, the five-star crown jewel of the Blue Devils’ top-rated recruiting class, has certainly heard from Roach on the floor.
“He’s been a great leader,” Lively said. “He makes sure we set the tone for Duke basketball. If we’re messing up, he gets right to the point. We’re not sugar coating anything. If we make a mistake on the court, everybody’s looking at us.”
Roach will also need to step up on the court, where he emerged during last season’s Final Four run as a reliable scorer and clutch player for the Blue Devils. He averaged 12.8 points and 3.8 assists in the NCAA Tournament run, giving Duke another scoring option.
“It definitely brought a lot of confidence in me,” he said. “I’m just trying to bring that confidence that I have and kind of instill it into all these other guys. Just to know what’s to come for the season and what kind of target we are going to have on our back to get back to where we were last year.”
Ready or not, surrounded by turnover in the Duke locker room, Jeremy Roach is ready to lead the Blue Devils into the season.
“I definitely feel like I’ve earned it,” he said. “I’ve been here two years. I’ve been through rough times and good times. I know the ins and outs of the Duke program. I’m ready for a leadership role.”
“He’s done a great job,” Scheyer said. “He’s in a great spot to really have a heck of a year. He’s gonna be our guard, and I’ll put them him against any guard of the country.”
