As one of the nation's preeminent programs for the past decade-plus under head coach Mike Krzyzewski, college basketball fans have come to expect consistent success year-in and year-out from the Blue Devils.
But with familiar faces like J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams now gone, replaced by the youngest Duke roster in the past half century, those fans might be surprised at the team's new look when they tune in this year.
"You turn on your favorite show, the show you love or you love to hate. that's kind of been Duke basketball," Krzyzewski said. "Now you turn it on, 'Oh, that guy who's still coaching-I still hate him or I still love him. Oh man, there's a whole new cast of characters or they're in different roles.'
"It's now Duke basketball starring Greg Paulus, Josh McRoberts and DeMarcus Nelson."
Before the season began, Krzyzewski named Paulus, McRoberts and Nelson as the team's captains. Paulus and McRoberts are the first ever sophomore captains in program history, and Nelson averaged just 7.1 points per game last season while Redick and Williams shouldered the majority of the scoring load.
Perhaps more important than the statistical hole left by the Class of 2006's departure, the Duke show must go on without any recruited seniors on the team-requiring the youngest trio of Duke captains ever to lead the way for a roster loaded with talent and athleticism.
"We definitely need people to step up and take on leadership roles," McRoberts said. "I accept that role, and it's a big honor to have."
A year ago, the Blue Devils were ranked No. 1 in the preseason and many anointed them national champions before the season even began. This time around-perhaps tempered by last March's loss to LSU in the Sweet 16 and the subsequent departures-even Krzyzewski has been careful not to place the same type of expectations on his new team.
"My goal for this team is that we be unbelievable friends at the end of the season," he said. "I would never put the standards of accomplishment that our previous teams had on this group-it's unfair."
With seven of the last eight ACC Tournaments titles, 30-win seasons in six of the last nine years and a National Championship in 2001, Krzyzewski has a right to be cautious about placing the burden of his past teams' successes on this squad. This is especially the case because six of Duke's 14 players had their first collegiate practice Oct. 13.
The freshman class may still be getting used to Cameron Indoor Stadium, but they bring a great deal of talent. Krzyzewski said he expects to play all four-Gerald Henderson, Brian Zoubek, Jon Scheyer and Lance Thomas-and does not want to consider any of them "backups."
"It's these new characters-who are they going to become?" Krzyzewski said. "That's the beauty of basketball. The thing is our kids won't disappoint. They're really going to be really good. Sometimes they're going to be not so good. They're going to succeed and fail."
Even though the team is young-Nelson is the only scholarship player of legal drinking age, and he just turned 21 Nov. 2-Krzyzewski has emphasized that the Blue Devils must play above their age and exhibit a high level of maturity to be successful in the national spotlight.
"I have to have them play old," Krzyzewski said. "We have to make changes in how we coach a team like this from a veteran team. But that's the exciting part of college basketball."
Excitement is just what people are hoping for when they tune in to see Krzyzewski's program compete. While some of the familiar faces from episodes of previous years may be gone and some experts have ranked Duke outside the top 10 in the preseason, the Blue Devils are conscious that they still represent one of college basketball's elite teams.
"We've still got Duke on the front of our jerseys," McRoberts said. "So everybody wants to come beat us. I think it will even be more so this year where everybody will think that this is the year they can get us. But we're going to work as hard as we can to make sure that doesn't happen."
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