Carlos' quest for consistency

He has been called overweight and slow and he has been accused of being the reason Duke did not start the preseason ranked No. 1.

He has also been compared to Elton Brand and labeled by some as the Blue Devils' top NBA prospect.

At 6-foot-9, 270 pounds, he is the enigma also known as Carlos Boozer. He is the same man who can be one of the best players on the team-when he shows up.

But then again, that is the enigma of the Juneau native. Perhaps he is not quite as good as everyone has hyped him to be, but for whatever reason the sophomore has been dominated by a couple of the league's top centers.

One thing is for sure-there is no question about whether the talent is there; it is just a matter of developing it.

"He's developing like a normal, really good player," coach Mike Krzyzewski said of his center. "And he's accepting that type of development instead of wanting something amazing to happen right away. He's putting in the extra time and effort."

The fact remains that Boozer has been very streaky not only last season, but also this season.

Consider the following numbers. The Alaskan was 7-for-11 with 24 points against Alvin Jones and Georgia Tech, 7-for-8 with 16 points versus Travis Watson and Virginia and 5-for-9 with 15 points against Lonny Baxter and Maryland. Good numbers against some of the best centers in the ACC.

Most people would excuse a freshman getting pushed around inside by an experienced upperclassman, but for a sophomore preseason Wooden Award candidate to be dominated by others who are supposed to be on the same level does not quite cut it for Boozer anymore, especially when that weakness could result in a Duke loss.

"My size was a disadvantage because I was a freshman and the people we played against had sophomores, juniors and seniors that were in the post position, and they played a lot more physical than I did," Boozer said at the beginning of the season. "I had the body to do it- I just didn't have the mentality. Practicing with [then-assistant coach David Henderson] taught me as well as some other post players how to play more physical."

With that part of his game under control, Boozer then got a whole new look at playing the five-spot when assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski took over working with the post players after Henderson left for the head coaching job at Delaware. With Wojciechowski's direction, Boozer has greatly improved his game and been far better at establishing position in inside so his teammates can get him the ball. That positioning under the basket was one of the main reasons for his amazing play at the beginning of the season.

"I am able to help him see it from a guard's point of view," Wojciechowski said. "Instead of just not getting the ball, [Boozer] can learn why he might not have gotten the ball that play and when he might be fed the ball next."

Also helping Boozer this year has been the addition of Matt Christensen as a constant in the Blue Devils' rotation, even if it came halfway through the season. Christensen's surge in recent weeks has allowed Boozer to rest and has kept the big man out of foul trouble-one of his biggest pitfalls against Stanford.

"He's been huge coming in getting offensive rebounds and put-backs and making major contributions to our basketball team," Boozer said. "Going in there and being another physical presence has been huge for us. If he keeps playing likes he's been playing, it gives me a different edge when I come back into the game."

But in order to join the elite of college centers, Boozer still needs to develop a few smooth inside moves and improve his catching and dribbling skills.

Meanwhile the enigma remains. His flashes of brilliance are there, but he is still striving for consistency.