Good things come to those who wait

Let's face it-Duke fans would adore men's basketball players no matter what the strength of their character is. But it's that much easier when the object of the admiration is fourth-year junior Nate James, who has battled through multiple setbacks to become a full-time starter on this year's team. Coming out of Washington, D.C. as a McDonald's All-American and Maryland's Gatorade Player of the Year, James ruptured tendons in his thumb and missed the first 14 games of the season. The following year brought an even worse calamity, a high left ankle sprain that limited him to 41 total minutes for the season and forced James to redshirt. In sophomore year take two, James finally had an injury-free season. However, his minutes were reduced by the abundance of future NBA lottery picks on one of the deepest and most talented Blue Devil teams ever. Over his first three years at Duke, James' statistics-4.2 points and 2.3 rebounds a game, and almost twice as many turnovers as assists-did nothing to help forecast a turnaround for next season. Yet James continued unfazed through all the setbacks, and his dedication paid off when he was named a tri-captain over the summer, despite having only one start to his name. "Whether you're short, tall, fast, slow, whatever, it always starts from within," said James, who has started all but one game this season. "Your heart and your determination will get you a long way. I think that's what has gotten me here today." Even when James finally made the starting lineup, he got a quick reminder that he hadn't accomplished anything yet. In the season opener against Stanford, James scored just one point in 30 minutes. "I think in terms of my first two regular season games, things were kind of new to me," James said. "The first two exhibition games I averaged 19 points, eight rebounds, so going into New York I was feeling good about everything. "But I didn't realize that teams scout, and take away certain things. I wasn't used to being a guy that people keyed on, and that took me for a loop. After New York, I realized that if I want to help this team, I have to be ready both physically and mentally, to try and be consistent. After that, I played a lot better and with a lot more confidence." One thing that James always seemed to have was toughness. Most fans remember the game last month against Wake Forest when he played 20 minutes despite battling an illness and looked on the verge of collapsing. But that wasn't the first time that James showed his character. James' first game back after his freshman thumb injury came against Tim Duncan and No. 2 Wake Forest. He scored 10 points in 19 minutes, a performance that brought strong compliments from Krzyzewski. "For a kid who's been out for six weeks and hasn't practiced, are you kidding me?" said the coach. "What a great game." Krzyzewski definitely raised some eyebrows by naming James a tri-captain. Sure, ACC player of the year candidates Chris Carrawell and Shane Battier. But James? Yet James, armed with a constant supply of inspirational advice, has served as a beacon of hope for his freshmen teammates, especially those sitting on the bench. All he has to do is point to his own experiences. "You may not accomplish all the things that you want to accomplish right now," James said. "But if you really stick with it, hang in there and don't get discouraged, you'll get the opportunity and things will work out. Just keep working and keep your persistence." Keep working-that would be James' motto. When asked what impression he wants to leave on the Duke faithful after he leaves school, James doesn't think twice. "'This is a guy who never gave up,'" James said. "Even though things didn't go my way at first, I kept at it. I think that's life. I think people will remember me as a guy who gave his all. If they can say that about me, that's what it's all about." Of course, James also wouldn't mind being known for reaching his ultimate goal. It's not being named captain, or being a full-time starter, or winning each year at Maryland despite all the jeers of "traitor" from the unforgiving Terps fans who cheered him on in high school. James has done all of that. He wants the championship. "My goal was never to come here to start," he said. "My goal was to come here to do the things I'm capable of doing, and to help my teammates win. That's the main reason I came here-the opportunity to win a championship." Before this year started, as player upon player left, James knew the team would still be fine. "I'm not surprised," James said of this year's success. "We have some good players on this team, whether they be upperclassmen or freshmen." After all, one way to counter a lack of experience is with all-out hustle and constant intensity. And James will be sure that those are not lacking. "Some of the games we've been losing," James explained, "we haven't put it all out on the court, we haven't given 110 percent, we haven't played a full 40 minutes of Duke basketball." And, when he said those words, his look made something clear-James isn't about to let that happen again.