COLLEGE PARK, Md. - For weeks head coach Mike Krzyzewski has been preaching to his team to stop "J.J. watching." He said he's had many conversations with freshman Greg Paulus and senior Sean Dockery about becoming more aggressive on offense.
Against Maryland Saturday, they finally listened.
Paulus set a career high with 16 points, and Dockery added 15 points of his own, as the duo combined to knock down seven three-pointers in Duke's 96-88 victory.
"For me it just doesn't make sense," J.J. Redick said of his teammates' reluctance to take open shots. "If someone's like, 'Shoot the ball, J.J.' I'm like 'Alright.' I'll shoot it every time I get it."
Paulus and Dockery showed no hesitation pulling the trigger in the opening minutes of Saturday's game.
After the two teams traded baskets on their respective opening possessions, Dockery nailed a three-pointer from the right wing. Then Paulus pulled up at the top of the key to drain a three, and Dockery added another trifecta from the right corner. The long-range barrage helped the Blue Devils jump out to an early 11-4 lead.
"Me and Greg work on our shot harder than anybody on the team, so why not shoot?" Dockery said. "Today we shot with confidence. We knew guys were going to double Shelden [Williams] down, and we were going to have open shots."
With Redick and Williams accounting for more than 56 percent of Duke's scoring entering Saturday's game, opponents' defenses have had to send double- and sometimes triple-teams to try and stop the nation's best inside-outside duo. And until Saturday, the Blue Devils still hadn't taken complete advantage.
Against North Carolina Feb. 7, Krzyzewski could be seen screaming at Dockery on several occasions to shoot the ball when he was left open. The senior, who Krzyzewski has called the Blue Devils' second-best shooter, connected on 4-for-6 of his attempts from beyond the arc against the Tar Heels. He found similar success against Maryland, going 3-for-4 from long range.
Paulus, meanwhile, has struggled to score from the field in Duke's last few games. The point guard misfired on all eight of his attempts in the Blue Devils' games against Boston College and Florida State, even missing several layups. But the floor leader played with confidence and poise in his first trip to the Comcast Center and was not shy about shooting the ball.
"We understand that we need to contribute a little bit more offensively," Paulus said. "Sometimes we rely on J.J. and Shelden so much that all the attention goes to them and guys lay off us, and we're not making them pay. Hopefully this will keep building and growing, and this is definitely what we need to do-balanced scoring."
If Paulus and Dockery continue to assert themselves offensively, the Blue Devils will become an almost impossible team to defend.
Redick, who reached 30 points for the fourth time in the past five games, has proven that he is going to get his points regardless of what defensive schemes opposing coaches draft up. And when Duke feeds the ball to Williams in the post, he consistently creates matchup problems for opponents as well.
"[Paulus] could hit nine in a game, they're still not going to be honest," Redick said. "Let's be serious, that's just the way teams are going to play. They're going to shade me and Shelden. They want other guys to beat us. The first half, especially early, I didn't really even get a shot off, and we were still scoring."
Sure, Redick scored 35 and Williams added 26, but the Blue Devil role players made the difference against Maryland. Paulus and Dockery helped build an early lead, and it was Dockery's three-pointer from the right corner with less than two minutes remaining that put a dagger through the hearts of the Terrapin faithful.
"Today was a step in us becoming better," Krzyzewski said. "This was kind of the first game-and we needed it today-where a lot of guys stepped up."
The chronicle
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - For weeks head coach Mike Krzyzewski has been preaching to his team to stop "J.J. watching." He said he's had many conversations with freshman Greg Paulus and senior Sean Dockery about becoming more aggressive on offense.
Against Maryland Saturday, they finally listened.
Paulus set a career high with 16 points, and Dockery added 15 points of his own, as the duo combined to knock down seven three-pointers in Duke's 96-88 victory.
"For me it just doesn't make sense," J.J. Redick said of his teammates' reluctance to take open shots. "If someone's like, 'Shoot the ball, J.J.' I'm like 'Alright.' I'll shoot it every time I get it."
Paulus and Dockery showed no hesitation pulling the trigger in the opening minutes of Saturday's game.
After the two teams traded baskets on their respective opening possessions, Dockery nailed a three-pointer from the right wing. Then Paulus pulled up at the top of the key to drain a three, and Dockery added another trifecta from the right corner. The long-range barrage helped the Blue Devils jump out to an early 11-4 lead.
"Me and Greg work on our shot harder than anybody on the team, so why not shoot?" Dockery said. "Today we shot with confidence. We knew guys were going to double Shelden [Williams] down, and we were going to have open shots."
With Redick and Williams accounting for more than 56 percent of Duke's scoring entering Saturday's game, opponents' defenses have had to send double- and sometimes triple-teams to try and stop the nation's best inside-outside duo. And until Saturday, the Blue Devils still hadn't taken complete advantage.
Against North Carolina Feb. 7, Krzyzewski could be seen screaming at Dockery on several occasions to shoot the ball when he was left open. The senior, who Krzyzewski has called the Blue Devils' second-best shooter, connected on 4-for-6 of his attempts from beyond the arc against the Tar Heels. He found similar success against Maryland, going 3-for-4 from long range.
Paulus, meanwhile, has struggled to score from the field in Duke's last few games. The point guard misfired on all eight of his attempts in the Blue Devils' games against Boston College and Florida State, even missing several layups. But the floor leader played with confidence and poise in his first trip to the Comcast Center and was not shy about shooting the ball.
"We understand that we need to contribute a little bit more offensively," Paulus said. "Sometimes we rely on J.J. and Shelden so much that all the attention goes to them and guys lay off us, and we're not making them pay. Hopefully this will keep building and growing, and this is definitely what we need to do-balanced scoring."
If Paulus and Dockery continue to assert themselves offensively, the Blue Devils will become an almost impossible team to defend.
Redick, who reached 30 points for the fourth time in the past five games, has proven that he is going to get his points regardless of what defensive schemes opposing coaches draft up. And when Duke feeds the ball to Williams in the post, he consistently creates matchup problems for opponents as well.
"[Paulus] could hit nine in a game, they're still not going to be honest," Redick said. "Let's be serious, that's just the way teams are going to play. They're going to shade me and Shelden. They want other guys to beat us. The first half, especially early, I didn't really even get a shot off, and we were still scoring."
Sure, Redick scored 35 and Williams added 26, but the Blue Devil role players made the difference against Maryland. Paulus and Dockery helped build an early lead, and it was Dockery's three-pointer from the right corner with less than two minutes remaining that put a dagger through the hearts of the Terrapin faithful.
"Today was a step in us becoming better," Krzyzewski said. "This was kind of the first game-and we needed it today-where a lot of guys stepped up."
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