As a freshman, Greg Paulus couldn't have thought that four years later, he would be the only true senior to be honored before his last game in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Paulus came in as one of the jewels of the nation's top-ranked recruiting class, but now, three of five players have left Duke, and Marty Pocius is bypassing his final year of eligibility.
Which leaves Paulus, beloved by the Cameron Crazies and vilified by almost everyone else, as Duke's lone four-year senior when he, Pocius and fifth-year senior Dave McClure are honored before the No. 7 Blue Devils (24-5, 10-4 in the ACC) play No. 24 Florida State (22-7, 9-5) Tuesday at 8:05 p.m. in Cameron.
Even Paulus, typically reserved with the media, admitted that the specifics of his senior sendoff are not quite what he would have anticipated four years ago, when J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams were serenaded with cheers and Lee Melchionni kissed Cameron's floor.
"It's been a little bit different," Paulus said. "Each senior class has a different experience, and a couple guys made a couple different decisions.... We came in with a bigger class, leaving a little bit smaller, but that doesn't take away from the things we've been through, the special bond that we have through the ups and downs."
If Paulus had that bond with four other freshmen, then he now shares it with two seniors-one that came in with him, the other a year before.
Pocius was part of the highly-touted class-which included Eric Boateng, Jamal Boykin and Josh McRoberts-and took a medical redshirt last season after injuring his foot. He has chosen not to exercise his last year of eligibility.
Meanwhile, McClure sat out what would have been his sophomore season. He came to Duke in 2004 with DeMarcus Nelson, and since then, has fulfilled a role as the team's glue guy and one of its best defenders and rebounders.
"At times, it does feel like an eternity. But when you look back, it really goes by in a flash of an eye," McClure said of his time at Duke. "It really can seem almost like a few days ago when DeMarcus and I first arrived here.... When we first got to campus, it was just the two of us. It was just us trying to figure this whole thing out for ourselves. Now we're the guys who can really help bring the other guys along."
But as the team's only four-year senior, Paulus figures to be at the forefront of attention Wednesday. Paulus' career has seen ups and downs, but nothing could have prepared him for his senior season, when Nolan Smith's emergence at point guard and a lingering knee injury relegated him to a reserve role for the first time in his career.
His four years in a Blue Devils uniform may not have been exactly what he expected, but Paulus said he understood that he would face challenges when he spurned football and basketball powerhouses to play at Duke.
"I came to Duke to be a part of Duke, to be a part of the history and tradition, to add to it," Paulus said. "You come to this place to be a part of all those things, and you're part of something bigger than yourself.... There's been some ups, there's been some downs, some different directions that you didn't think could happen but happened, but our team is playing really well."
Paulus isn't one to overlook the importance of the contest just because of the occasion. Duke still has a chance to win the ACC regular-season title, and a win against Florida State would give the Blue Devils an opportunity to play North Carolina Sunday with an ACC title essentially on the line. It would also be Duke's first victory on Senior Night since 2005-the year before Paulus arrived on campus.
And given that, it seems fitting Paulus, the consummate team player, could end his career in Cameron on an up-with a win that's not as glamorous as beating the Tar Heels at home, but is just as necessary for Duke's championship hopes.
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