Retired Glenbrook North coach Dave Weber is proud as onetime player Jon Scheyer coaches to Final Four
You may not be a Duke fan, but if you know your Illinois high school basketball history, it's hard not to cheer for Blue Devils Head Coach Jon Scheyer — one of the best players ever from the Chicago area and the entire state of Illinois.
Retired Glenbrook North High School basketball coach Dave Weber mentored the legend, who is now in San Antonio chasing a national championship as a coach.
The trophy case at the Glenbrook North is filled with memories of a special time for Weber — coaching Scheyer as the present-day Duke Coach helped Glenbrook North win a state championship in 2005.
"It was just for this community to have that, to have Jon to win a state championship and have those great teams. It's hard to explain how good he was — and the thing about him was he did it in a classy way," Weber said. "And some of the games, the individual games he played were, I don't know if anybody can match that. I think one of the games I'll always remember is a super sectional at Loyola University against Waukegan. He had 48 that night. When the games were bigger, Jon played bigger."
Weber, who coached Glenbrook North for 25 years, is now getting to enjoy watching his former player lead Duke to the Final Four.
"Truly, I'm loving this whole experience," Weber said. "You know, obviously he's done well in the past, but this year is really special. "
But it can be a bit stressful at times.
"It is a little nerve-wracking for me, though — I'll be honest. I woke up last Saturday, and I said: 'Why I am so uptight? Why am I anxious?' And I thought, 'Oh, Duke's playing today, and this is their chance to go to the Final Four," said Weber. "So I do feel some stress watching him. It's kind of interesting for an old coach to feel that way. "
Even when Scheyer was dominating on the court with the Spartans at Glenbrook North some 20 years ago, Dave had a feeling that someday, he would be a pretty good coach as well.
"I knew he was going to be a coach. I thought he was going to play in the NBA, but then he had that injury where he couldn't continue his career. Especially after that injury, he kept coming back here. We'd talk. He always wanted to play, but he wasn't healthy enough to play. He loves the game. He understands the game. Some players just don't get it, and he did. He did from his freshman year on. So I always thought, and I thought he'd be a great coach too — and he's shown that right now."
And Weber thinks Scheyer's experiences should help him as he coaches in a Final Four for the first time.
"He's seen what it takes to win championships. He did it in high school. He played in 2010—they won the championship. He was an assistant coach. And now here he is as the head coach. So he knows what it takes," Weber said. "It's not going to be easy. This is going to be a tough weekend for them."
And hopefully not too stressful a weekend for Coach Weber. In Northbrook, Matt Zahn, CBS News Chicago.