Duke promotes Amile Jefferson to assistant coach

Duke men’s basketball head coach Jon Scheyer has announced the promotion of Amile Jefferson to assistant coach.

A national champion and three-time team captain for the Blue Devils during his playing career, Jefferson served as director of player development during the 2021-22 season.

“Having a front row seat for the evolution of Amile’s career has been special,” said Scheyer. “His passion, knowledge, and ability to relate to our guys is second-to-none. He played a valuable role for our team this season, particularly in the development of our frontcourt, and this promotion allows him to make an even bigger impact in the years ahead. His experience in the NBA combined with being a national champion, three-time captain and four-time Academic All-ACC pick at Duke makes Amile an essential voice on our team.”

Following a four-year professional playing career, Jefferson joined head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s staff in July of 2021 and helped guide the Blue Devils to a highly successful 2021-22 campaign that included a 32-7 record, an ACC regular season title and a run to the program’s 17th Final Four.

“I’m deeply honored and excited to be here and be a 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 continue it.”

An anchor on the defensive end of the floor for Duke during his playing career, Jefferson worked closely this season with ACC Defensive Player of the Year Mark Williams, who led the conference and ranked 12th nationally in blocked shots per game (2.82).

After receiving a master’s degree from Duke’s Divinity School in 2017, Jefferson spent time with the NBA G-League’s Iowa Wolves (2017-18), Orlando Magic (2018-20), Boston Celtics (2020) and the Turkish Basketball Super League’s Galatasaray (2020-21). He played in a program-record 150 games with the Blue Devils from 2012-17, averaging 7.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest. Jefferson contributed to 67 home wins (most in program history) and 124 total wins (third most in program history), while his .971 home winning percentage (67-2) ranks as the second best among any Duke player.

He was a member of the 2015 national championship squad and helped lead Duke to the 2017 ACC Tournament title with four wins in four days. Off the court, Jefferson remains the only player in program history to be named to the All-ACC Academic Team four times. He served as a team captain for three seasons – becoming the only Blue Devil in the Coach K era to do so – and was a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award in 2016-17.

Duke’s current coaching staff of Scheyer, Jefferson and associate head coach Chris Carrawell have all served as team captains during their Blue Devil careers.