A visible scar on his chin is not the only souvenir Greg Paulus took from Duke's December trip to New York City.
Chasing a loose ball in the Blue Devils' Dec. 21 win over Gonzaga in Madison Square Garden, Paulus crashed head-first into press row. The sophomore captain needed five stitches to halt the subsequent bleeding, but his aggressive play also resulted in a then-season-high 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting.
The ensuing scar was Paulus' small sacrifice for his most important memento from the game-a renewed sense of confidence in his shooting ability after having struggled early in the season.
And for Duke's point guard, self-assurance in his offensive skill set was the key to his impressive resurgence in the second half of ACC play.
"I have the confidence to take the shots," Paulus said. "I've spoke with my coaches and teammates, and even when I wasn't shooting with a good percentage or playing as well in the beginning of the year, the encouragement and support was still there. They told me, 'Hey, if you got it, take it.'"
Paulus has taken his support system's advice to heart. Since the Gonzaga game-his self-acknowledged turning point of the season-Paulus' average number of shots per game has jumped from 4.3 to 10.2. Accordingly, his shooting percentage has improved six percent since Duke's 61-54 decision over the Bulldogs.
Even after the Gonzaga game, Paulus still suffered through droughts reminiscent of his early-season woes. In the Blue Devils' first two ACC games, it looked as if Paulus had regressed, in terms of both play and psyche.
In the losses to Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech, Paulus combined for six points on 2-for-10 shooting. The point guard also posted four assists to nine turnovers in the two-game stretch.
Looking back at the two league-opening games, Paulus said it was a difficult time for him.
"It's been up and down," he said. "But the one thing that hasn't changed is working to get better.... I know it hasn't been pretty or perfect at times, but I've just been trying to improve on whatever was needed for our team."
Although Paulus did endure a rough patch at the start of ACC play, the player that head coach Mike Krzyzewski described as playing with "a burn" after the Gonzaga game re-emerged in the later portion of the conference schedule. In fact, he has become arguably the team's primary offensive option, as he led the Blue Devils in scoring in their last three games of the regular season.
The most surprising aspect of Paulus' improvement has been his three-point shooting. Last year, he shot 31.4 percent from beyond the arc, a stark contrast from his 45.6 clip this year. Paulus barely missed his most memorable shot of the season-a potentially game-winning buzzer-beater with time running out at Virginia that rimmed out-but it still impressed his teammates that he had the temerity to take it in the first place.
"He has been one of the guys most ready to take [the big shot]," sophomore Dave McClure said. "Not to say we're going to him more than anyone else, but he's shown tremendous leadership taking the big shots for us."
Part of Paulus' newfound burden as the team leader is a direct result of the void felt by the departures of J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams. Without a true scoring superstar, Duke has, at times, struggled through lengthy scouring droughts. Paulus has ameliorated some of the Blue Devils' problems with a simple offensive mentality of playing within himself.
"I just try to set people up, and if the shot's there, it's there," Paulus said. "It's a little bit different not playing with J.J. and Shelden, who make assists a lot easier, but it's part of being a point guard."
His assist-per-game average is down, but that is simply another ramification of Paulus' increased effort to shoot the ball. He no longer embodies the ideal of a pass-first point guard-and perhaps that is what Krzyzewski most implied when he lauded his Madison Square Garden performance.
The start to Paulus' sophomore season was marred by a nagging injury, but now, his only detectable impediment is the scar on his face-a constant and friendly reminder of the day his season truly changed for the better.
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