Everyone knows that it's freezing cold in Alaska. But based on Anchorage-native Trajan Langdon's ability to scorch the nets for the men's basketball team, he probably has little trouble staying warm.
The freshman guard was instrumental in Duke's late comeback surge against the Maryland Terrapins Saturday. With the Blue Devils down 10 points late in the second half, Langdon literally became the Duke offense. He looked unconscious in drilling three treys and two mid-range jumpers to bring the Blue Devils within one. And during a two-minute span, he scored 12 straight Duke points.
"Trajan's a great player. He's a tremendous shooter and a tremendous scorer," sophomore Jeff Capel said. "You very rarely find that in a player -- a person who's a shooter and can also score in different ways. He was feeling it [against Maryland], and we wanted to get the ball in his hands as much as we possibly could. When he's feeling it, he can create things for other people as well."
As a highly sought after high school recruit, Langdon was expected to produce big things from day one by many surrounding the Blue Devil program. And he delivered. Just seven games into his college career, the shooting guard worked his way into the starting lineup and has been there ever since.
"Obviously, I'm part of the starting five, and I've got to look to score some points," Langdon said. "I've got to score some points, and we all have to look to be aggressive against [Atlantic Coast Conference] teams in these games.
"I just came out aggressive [against Maryland], and that's what I've got to do. My teammates did a great job, and maybe [Terp defenders] were focusing on Cherokee [Parks] and Jeff a little bit. I got some open looks and got rolling."
Although he's only averaging about 10 points per game this season, Langdon's sudden shooting spree should come as no surprise. He had done it twice already this season -- both at Wake Forest and at Illinois. After going scoreless in the first half of each contest, he came out and burned both opponents for 10 straight Duke points in the second.
"We don't even think Trajan is a streak shooter -- he's a great shooter," acting head coach Pete Gaudet said. "He's shown that in practices, and I wish all of our guys on the perimeter would have that kind of confidence, really work that hard to get shots and then take shots and take big shots. That's what Trajan can become if he gets more consistent."
Regardless of Langdon's consistency so far this season, the Blue Devils have shown their confidence in his ability -- even in clutch situations. Despite the freshman's lack of experience, the Duke coaches considered him a top option in the waning seconds of the Maryland game.
"Trajan played an outstanding game. He hit all the big shots," freshman Steve Wojciechowski said. "[On the last shot], what we wanted to do is either get it to Trajan off the double screen or kick it to Chief on the other side."
Although Langdon's shooting has fluctuated between hot and not this season, his on-court demeanor is a constant. He is always wearing a calm and collected expression, and considering his Alaskan roots, it's a little surprising he hasn't garnered the nickname "Iceman." But regardless of his performance, Langdon is the last person to credit himself.
"My teammates did a great job getting me the ball," Langdon said of the game Saturday. "[Maryland defenders] would help out on the penetration or down low, and I got the ball. A couple of times I pulled up and shot. It just comes with playing with my teammates. I give all the credit to them."
Opposing teams already know they have to key on stopping the All-American Parks inside while worrying about Capel's outside touch and slashes to the basket. Langdon adds another dimension to the mix, which can help spread out opposing defenses and allow the Blue Devils to maintain a fluid offense.
"Trajan's a great shooter," senior Erik Meek said. "That's one thing we have to try to develop more -- we have to get our shooters more shots. We have to give them good shots, open shots."
And as Langdon has already shown many times this season, an open shot is often a good one.
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