RALEIGH - In Duke's last three ACC games-all wins by more than 20 points-much attention has been given to the all-around play of Josh McRoberts, the consistency of DeMarcus Nelson and the emergence of Jon Scheyer as a real scoring threat.
Due to this attention, no player has slipped under the radar more than sophomore Dave McClure.
"He does a lot for us," Greg Paulus said. "Sometimes... if you're not watching closely enough you don't really know what he does for our team. He brings a lot of energy, enthusiasm and does all the little things whether it's playing defense or getting us an extra possession."
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McClure, who redshirted last season, has provided the Blue Devils with a spark off the bench not only during the team's recent winning streak, but all season long.
"He's been giving us a great lift all year," McRoberts said. "To have a guy with that amount of energy and talent to come in-he does whatever we need him to do every time out there."
Saturday against N.C. State, McClure scored 10 points and grabbed four rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench. He also added four steals to a season total of 29-only one behind Nelson for the team lead.
The forward is also second on the team in rebounds per game, averaging 5.3 boards per contest.
McClure's impact is even more remarkable considering he averages less than 22 minutes a game. McClure has seen his playing time increase in recent weeks, when he has garnered over 20 minutes in all but one game since Duke's 61-52 win over Georgetown Dec. 2.
In the only contest since that time in which McClure has played less than 20 minutes-Jan. 10 at Georgia Tech-the Blue Devils lost.
Although the stat sheet may not always show it, McClure has certainly made his presence felt off the bench since returning to the court this season. His "team first" attitude has helped the young Blue Devils mature as they try to find their identity in the ACC.
"It's just something that everyone coming off the bench on our team tries to do- to just come in and bring a spark," McClure said. "Whether it's rebounding, defense, jumping in passing lanes or whatever our team is lacking at that time, we try to come in and give a spark."
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