Jon Scheyer credits Mark Mitchell in big win over Syracuse: ‘That dude is a winner’

Jon Scheyer loved how Mark Mitchell played in the Syracuse game on Tuesday.

The Blue Devils picked up their 1st conference win by beating Syracuse 86-66. Mitchell stood out to Scheyer recently because of the Duke forward has put his head down and worked. Mitchell finished the night with 21 points, which led the team in scoring.

“For us that was just utterly a tough conference win. It’s what you’re gonna see in that 1st half. … I thought that the job that Mark did in that 1st half, it’s not just the scoring, I’m proud of him for just trusting the process and doubling down on his work,” said Scheyer. “It’s not easy playing here, there’s a lot of criticism. I think Mark has just stayed the course, and he’s had to adjust to people guarding him differently on offense. That dude is a winner, competitor, connector, and I thought he was himself tonight.”

Another player that was mentioned by Scheyer was Jaylen Blakes. Blakes’ effort was on display in the big win for Duke.

“Another guy that was key for us was Jaylen Blakes. Every young player should watch him. He takes 1 shot, has 3 steals, and he was in for 2 of the critical moments in the 1st half just to keep us steady,” said Scheyer. “Just making every right play, every loose ball. For us, then we could make some shots in the 2nd half. I thought we really shared it. Just proud of this win and proud of getting our 1st conference win.”

The Blue Devils are on the road in their next game as they head to South Bend to play Notre Dame on Saturday. Tipoff will be at 6 p.m. ET on ACC Network.