Miles Plumlee wasn't the most highly touted recruit in his class. Then again, he wasn't even a member of Duke's group of freshmen until May. But on a team lacking a dominant big man, he may just be the Blue Devils' most important addition.
Plumlee committed to play at Stanford for head coach Trent Johnson during his junior year of high school. When Johnson left Stanford for LSU at the beginning of April, Plumlee was granted a release from his Letter of Intent. Although former Duke associate head coach Johnny Dawkins tried to keep Plumlee at Stanford, Dawkins' long-time mentor, head coach Mike Krzyzewski, ultimately outdid him.
Krzyzewski had a scholarship open after former Blue Devil Taylor King decided to transfer to Villanova. And once Duke extended the offer, everything besides Duke was "off the table," Plumlee said-partly because his brother Mason, a five-star power forward in the Class of 2010, had already committed to Krzyzewski.
"Duke was an option I didn't have before," the 6-foot-10 power forward said. "When I found out I could come here and play with my brother, that was a big deal for me.... At the time [of my Stanford commitment], I wasn't as highly recruited as I was when I got my release.
"I thought I was kind of underrated the whole time, but I think definitely my body caught up with me. I put on some weight and schools started looking at me differently."
Plumlee is a welcome addition to a team whose only player over 6-foot-8 last season, junior Brian Zoubek, averaged 3.8 points per game. Plumlee's high school coach, David Gaines, describes Plumlee as "big, athletic and mobile" with a "7-foot-1 wingspan" and "the handle of a guard."
Plumlee will be under a great deal of pressure to perform right away, particularly defensively and on the boards. With a guard-heavy rotation that can provide most of the Blue Devils' scoring, though, even a minimal scoring output from Plumlee would be a boon for Duke's frontcourt.
A gifted scorer and self-described "finisher," Plumlee appears to be an obvious fit for the Blue Devils' lineup.
Still, even he didn't fully grasp the idea of being a starter until he found himself on the court in Duke's first exhibition Oct. 25. When the team gathered before the game, Krzyzewski named four starters with a spot open at center.
Somewhat to his own surprise, Plumlee was chosen as that fifth starter.
"It didn't really hit me until you come and they call your name, because I wasn't really expecting that either," he said. "[The announcer called out No.] 21. I was thrown back. I was the first one out of the huddle. It was pretty crazy."
And crazy is a good way to describe Plumlee's unlikely path from the West Coast to the Blue Devils' starting lineup. It also might be the best way to describe his potential, his high school coach said.
"The biggest factor for him is believing he's as good as the rest of us think he is," Gaines said. "I wouldn't say he lacks confidence, but I don't think he knows how good he is."
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