Old Gold and Black Reporter
Although already pegged by some experts as a rebuilding season, anybody who knows the ACC conference from a GOP conference knows that Duke will be anything but a pushover this season.
What could possibly be the difference, you may be asking yourself, between last year's mediocre 13-18 squad and this year's team? The myriad of possibilities run through your head: Duke lost key front-court contributors Erik Meek and Cherokee Parks to the NBA, Assistant Coach Mike Brey and substitute Head Coach Pete Gaudet left the team, and so on and so forth.
Yet there can be only one answer, one man and one attitude so vital to a team's success. That man so eternally valuable to the program is Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski, who was lost for a majority of last season due to back surgery.
Krzyzewski, entering his 16th season at the helm of Duke basketball, is one of the great basketball minds of our time. With a career record of 358-127 at Duke, Krzyzewski began a tradition and has managed to maintain its stellar reputation throughout his stay. In fact, Krzyzewski's program has been so successful for such a long time that it often draws comparison to some of the great basketball traditions of all time.
With last year's poor performance still fresh in basketball enthusiasts' minds, the demise of Duke basketball and its great tradition of excellence seems near to many. Regardless of popular opinion and a disappointing previous season, Krzyzewski will settle for nothing less than a full restoration of Duke's college basketball prominence.
It may be an easier path for Krzyzewski to hoe than many realize. In fact, last year's Krzyzewski-led Duke squad started off the season in typical fashion. However, after compiling a 9-2 record, chronic back pains and the urging of wife Mickie forced Krzyzewski to go under the knife. At the advice of doctors, Krzyzewski remained at a distance from the program to avoid any stress and anxiety that could aggravate his condition.
Nearly a year later, Krzyzewski is rejuvenated and once again ready to undertake the task of molding his team into a winner. "I'm excited about this season," Krzyzewski said. "I'm just happy to be coaching and coaching at Duke."
Coach K also has reason to be happy about the quality of players he has at his disposal. An especially bright spot for Duke this year will be their backcourt, which contains a plethora of talent.
Running the point this year for the Blue Devils will be 6-5 junior All-America candidate Jeff Capel. As the second leading scorer on the 1994-1995 team, Capel will be expected to assume even more of the offensive burden this year. He is the team's top outside shooting threat, converting on an astounding 46 percent of his three-point attempts. Capel also led the team in assists, dishing out a little over four per game.
Manning the wings beside Capel will be sophomore sensations Trajan Langdon and Ricky Price. Langdon averaged 11.3 points per game last year while playing in all 31 games for the Blue Devils. The squad will look to Langdon to play an increased offensive role this season. He will join Capel from beyond the arc where he converted 59 three-point attempts last year.
Currently, Langdon is recuperating from a stress reaction in his left leg which has kept him out of preseason action. "He is our most fundamentally-sound player," Krzyzewski said. "We will miss his development in the preseason, but he will be needed down the line." Langdon is expected to be ready to play by the first regular season game.
Price, a 6-6 silky-smooth swing-man, is expected to build upon his solid freshman year to be the Blue Devils' defense-penetrating weapon. The athletically-gifted Price averaged 8.1 points a game, pocketed 23 steals and pulled down the fourth most rebounds on the team last season in 14 starting assignments.
Also figuring into the equation will be senior co-captain Chris Collins. Although often erratic and hot-headed, Collins is a legitimate scoring threat who possesses the ability to single-handedly influence a game with his long-range bombs. Collins enters this season second on Duke's career list for three-pointers with 130.
Further support in the backcourt will come from feisty sophomore Steve Wojciechowski. Wojciechowski is a fierce competitor on the court, especially defensively, and was second on the team in assists a year ago. One can also expect to hear from junior guard Carmen Wallace, who rounds out Duke's strong perimeter unit.
If any area is of special concern to Krzyzewski, undoubtedly it is his dismantled front line. With the loss of big men Meek and Parks, some gaping holes have opened up front for the Blue Devils. Hoping to fill the void created by the graduated NBA players are highly-touted 6-10 freshman Taymon Domzalski, 6-8 senior Tony Moore and 6-10 junior Greg Newton.
Inexperience is the main problem among the trio who have only one college start between them. Newcomer Domzalski will most certainly have to adapt quickly due to the lack of depth up front. Over the summer, Domzalski got a taste of the college game while playing on the USA Junior National Team with teammates Langdon and Wojciechowski.
Although rarely used in his previous three years at Duke, Blue Devil insiders feel that Moore may be the surprise of the ACC this season. Because of his native athletic ability and off-season work, many believe that the power forward can add some punch to the Duke front line.
The most promising player this preseason for the Blue Devils has been Newton. "Greg Newton has shown unbelievable enthusiasm, and I'm very pleased with his performance," Krzyzewski said. Duke will look to Newton to be the leader of the front court trio.
Despite a suspect front court, the wealth of talent around the perimeter should lead the team to another successful season. Look for Duke to return to the top of the ACC and to restore its customary spot in the top 20. Coach K is back, and so are the Blue Devils.