Stephen A. Smith Fires Warning at Jon Scheyer After Mavericks Hire Dusty May

On Monday morning, it was reported that Dusty May was finalizing a deal to become the Dallas Mavericks‘ next head coach. May had just led the Michigan Wolverines to a national championship, capping a remarkable 37-3 season and completing one of the fastest rises in college basketball. Just three years earlier, he took Florida Atlantic on a historic Final Four run before rebuilding Michigan into a powerhouse program.

But on Monday’s “First Take,” ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith was quick to redirect attention to Duke head coach Jon Scheyer, who was reportedly also being considered for the job.

“As it pertains to Jon Scheyer, I think that the man is a damn good coach,” Smith said. “If that man had gotten a head coaching job, I would’ve gone ballistic. Because you didn’t finish the job. When you’re succeeding Mike Krzyzewski, you don’t leave Duke until you finish the job … You got Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel on the same squad, and you don’t win? And (Cameron) Boozer and the crew, you don’t win, and you’re going to leave for the pros? I would’ve lost it.”

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Ever since taking over for the legendary Mike Krzyzewski at Duke in 2022, Scheyer has been wildly successful. Through four seasons, he has compiled a 124-25 record, won two ACC regular-season titles, three tournament championships, reached three Elite Eights, and guided the Blue Devils to the Final Four in 2025. His .832 winning percentage is actually better than Krzyzewski’s was through his first four years as Duke’s head coach.

The problem, as Smith argues, is that he still hasn’t reached the top of the mountain, despite having multiple top-ranked recruiting classes, headlined by coveted five-stars like Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Khaman Maluach, Isaiah Evans, Cameron Boozer, and Nikolas Khamenia.

Duke’s 2025 team, led by Flagg, Knueppel, Maluach, and Evans, alongside Sion James, Tyrese Proctor, and Caleb Foster, came within minutes of competing for a national title before falling 70-67 to Houston. Then, in their Elite Eight matchup against UConn in 2026, the Blue Devils, led by Cameron and Cayden Boozer, Evans, Foster, Dame Sarr, and Maliq Brown, collapsed late, giving up a massive second-half lead to fall 73-72.

Scheyer is still widely regarded as one of the best coaches in college basketball. But there’s real pressure on him now to back that up with a title.

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As for May and the Mavericks, this could be exactly what Dallas needs to properly build its future around Flagg.

May has never coached at the NBA level, but he has spent more than two decades as a college coach and has won everywhere he’s been. For a player like Flagg, who is still only one year removed from college basketball, the fit could be perfect.

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This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 9:39 AM.