Yorkville Christian’s Jaden Schutt in line to become next great Duke guard
YORKVILLE, Ill. (BVM) – Jaden Schutt has impressed every step of the way in his basketball career. Now a senior at Yorkville Christian, Schutt is showing the kind of potential that has many buzzing about his future.
Soon, his journey will be taking him to the collegiate level where he will play for one of college basketball’s blue bloods: the Duke Blue Devils. Schutt officially committed to Duke at the end of last summer, and put pen to paper last fall.
I’m a blue devil 😈 #committed pic.twitter.com/GbpiAKuEZO
— Jaden Schutt (@schutt_jaden) September 2, 2021
Growing up, the Yorkville Christian senior studied the game of former Duke standout guard J.J. Redick. His current play shows that, as Schutt has become a lethal 3-point shooter himself. However, his game is also similar to another famous Duke guard, future head coach Jon Scheyer.
As coaching legend Mike Krzyzewski concludes a 42-year run as the head man at Duke, Scheyer is set to take over next season. He will bring with him a talented 2022 recruiting class which is ranked No. 1 in the nation, one that includes the No. 1 prospect in the class in 7-foot center Dereck Lively, and additional five-stars in Dariq Whitehead, Kyle Filipowski and Mark Mitchell.
While Schutt isn’t a top-five prospect nationally like some of those names, the four-star recruit is certainly no slouch, ranked No. 47 in the nation by ESPN. He is also rated as the second-best player in the state of Illinois, and is someone that Scheyer is excited to have in the program.
“Jaden is someone who has dedicated a lot of time and energy to his craft,” Scheyer said in a statement on signing day. “He’s a terrific player and a premier shooter in this class. Jaden has great feel for the game and moves incredibly well without the ball, which not only opens up things for him but his teammates. He has championship pedigree on the AAU circuit, has played at a high level and is excited to play in this spotlight and on this stage at Duke. We couldn’t be more thrilled to have Jaden and his family with us and we can’t wait for him to get on campus.”
When one watches Schutt play, they can’t help but think of another local product who once starred on the Illinois high school basketball scene: Scheyer himself.
Scheyer was a McDonald’s All-American and one of the top recruits in the country coming out of Glenbard West High School. The sharp-shooter became a state champion in 2005, Mr. Basketball winner in 2006, and may be most remembered for a state game that he lost where he had an incredible stretch in which he scored 21 points in 75 seconds.
Choosing to play at Duke University, Scheyer was an instant contributor from day one for the Blue Devils, saving his best for last as he averaged 18.2 points and helped lead his team to a national championship in 2010. Also a Wooden Award and Oscar Robertson Trophy finalist as a senior, Scheyer finished his career in the top 10 all-time in scoring at the legendary program.
After going undrafted, Scheyer was invited to a few NBA camps and played for a bit in the D-League, but eventually concluded his playing career overseas. From there, his coaching tenure began, joining Coach K’s staff in 2014, and becoming associate head coach in 2018.
With Coach K announcing his retirement, Scheyer was officially named as Duke’s next head coach last summer.
Schutt still has work to do to live up to Scheyer’s career, but he already seems on his way.
First and foremost, the 6-foot-5 guard is a winner. In 2019, he helped Yorkville Christian to its first sectional title in just the program’s fifth season. The following year, Schutt’s squad won 24 games, winning a second consecutive regional title.
While last season was a condensed one in Illinois, Schutt still impressed, as the Mustangs went a perfect 11-0 when their star was on the court, losing their only game of the season in the one game he missed.
Right away, Schutt proved his elite scoring ability, averaging over 15 points per game as a freshman and well over 20 during his sophomore and junior seasons. One of his highlights individually was during his sophomore year in which he set a state record with 17 3-point makes in one game. He made over 200 shots from deep across his first three high school seasons.
Schutt was already a highly-touted prospect, receiving plenty of college offers and interests from high-level DI programs after his sophomore year. However, a strong summer last year playing with the Illinois Wolves where he showed he was a shooter, finisher, dunker and all-around scorer, only strengthened his recruiting case.
22’ Jaden Schutt showing off his athleticism in front of Michigan St. coach Tom Izzo and Illinois coach Brad Underwood at the Ridgewood shootout🎥🔥 @schutt_jaden @WolvesILL pic.twitter.com/VyN6EMycNI
— New Wave Visions (@NewWaveVisions_) June 27, 2021
The Yorkville Christian standout also helped lead the Wolves to an Under Armour Association 17U championship.
With his commitment to Duke out of the way, it was full steam ahead once the summer turned to fall for his senior season. With Schutt along with a strong core returning, Yorkville Christian was an early favorite at the Class 1A level in the state.
The Mustangs remain that in a lot of peoples’ eyes with just a couple of weeks left in the season. A difficult schedule that the Mustangs lined up has them sitting at 19 wins, and extremely battle tested as they go deeper into the postseason.
Playing multiple teams outside of the state, Yorkville Christian has also faced off with some of the state’s top powers including Glenbard West, Glenbrook South, New Trier and Oswego East. One of the highlights of the year also came in late January when the Mustangs took on Chicago Kenwood, beating the star-studded squad 75-68 behind 33 points from Schutt.
Chicago-area Upset of the Year?! Duke commit Jaden Schutt’s 33 PTS lead Yorkville Christian over loaded Chicago Kenwood 75-68🔥pic.twitter.com/k78cp1ZqNx
— Scott/Ballislife (@BallisLifeCHI) January 31, 2022
Prior to that contest, Schutt achieved one of his greatest career milestones, becoming a 2,000-point scorer for the Mustangs.
Congratulations to Jaden Schutt as he surpassed the 2,000 point mark today! @schutt_jaden @DukeMBB #MustangsVSeverybody pic.twitter.com/SzHQn01iSS
— Mustang Hoops (@CoachSovern40) January 22, 2022
On the season, Yorkville Christian has played 10 teams who have been ranked at some point across the IHSA 3A and 4A levels. The postseason may not be much easier, but Schutt has his team in position for its first state title.
For as good as he is on the basketball court, Schutt has also made an impact already off the court at a young age. Last year, Schutt launched his own clothing line, Schutta Brand, which has designed apparel for him, his friends and others.
Jaden Schutt discusses Schütta Brand and why he plans on giving back to the community with the proceeds:@schutt_jaden – "I just want to give back and be like Christ."@WolvesILL @CoachSovern40 @jakubrudnik pic.twitter.com/FzMo2CuWGv
— Zach “🅂🄲🄷🅄🅉” Schumaker (@_SchuZ_) January 16, 2022
Always intrigued by entrepreneurship, the basketball standout decided to take advantage of this low-risk opportunity in attempts to grow a brand and also give back to his community.
Schutt’s life so far has been very impressive whether on or off the court. As he heads towards Duke, history suggests that should continue. The Blue Devils have a storied past when it comes to recruiting top players out of the Chicago area, whether that be DJ Steward, Jahlil Okafor, Jabari Parker, Corey Maggette or Chris Collins.
As arguably the best shooter and prospect in the state, Schutt is more than prepared to follow in the path of these players. Entering a perfect situation at Duke with Scheyer at the helm, Schutt may just be the next great guard from Illinois to star for the Blue Devils.
