The best leader on the men's basketball team may very well be someone who did not play a single minute last season.
Sophomore Trajan Langdon had to redshirt last year after a serious stress reaction in his left knee. The injury kept him from practicing, participating in games or doing anything other than watching film with the team. Langdon, however, is viewed not only as a key to future Blue Devil success but also as the man who will lead them by example throughout next season.
"I think to be a leader, you have to be respected by everyone and I know that Trajan has that quality," Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "I think he's comfortable with that... Having Trajan back will be a big plus."
The Blue Devils are counting on the Alaskan native to not only return from the injury, but also to be the player he was two seasons ago-providing an excellent shooting touch, playing pressure defense and helping to bring the ball up the court. Returning to the floor, however, will be a difficult task for Langdon.
He had surgery on March 12 to remove cartilage from his left knee and is slowly beginning the process of rehabilitation. It will be at least another month and a half before Langdon can attempt to play in pickup basketball games.
For now he has begun to run on the leg. Soon he will begin working on the basketball court on his own, and if all goes well, he hopes to be ready to rejoin the men's basketball team when they start preseason practice in October. But there is no hurry for the patient Langdon.
"There's no need to rush it," Langdon said. "I don't want something stupid to happen. If it takes a little more time, so be it. I want to make sure I'm ready to go."
One thing is clear-his teammates and the coaching staff want Langdon back, and the sooner the better. His ability to lead the Blue Devils, if anything, was enhanced last season as he watched from the bench. What makes it even more rare is the fact that Langdon has only played one full season at the collegiate level.
"[Having a young leader] doesn't happen that many times, but he's an exceptional guy," Krzyzewski said. "One of the big stories of last year... is that we didn't have Trajan last year. Arguably, he was our best player coming back.... But no one saw how Trajan handled that whole thing. He was so supportive of his teammates.
"One of the great things about last year was how he handled the Alaska Shootout. I mean, how difficult was that for him? And then we won and I know that was great, but his dream had to be to win that and to be a player and whatever, and now he's sitting on the bench and he has to handle all the media attention. He was terrific and his teammates saw that. His teammates saw that he was happy for them while he was going through a difficult time. That's where that respect is deep-rooted."
In addition to the respect he has from his teammates, they also understand how much better the Blue Devils can be with Langdon in the lineup. He will enable Duke to do a number of things it was unable to last season.
"[Having Trajan back] takes a lot of pressure off me," senior guard Jeff Capel said. "Trajan is another player we have who can handle the ball. If he's not 100 percent and he can't play, then it's really just myself and [junior guard Steve] Wojciechowski who can bring the ball up the court. Trajan is another guy who can handle the ball; he's a great defender; he can really shoot the basketball and score. He'll be a vital part of our team, and, in order for us to be very good, we need him at 100 percent."
But Langdon is still cautious about saying he will be healthy when the season starts. His body must replace the cartilage removed in surgery, and he'll likely have to ice his knees after athletic activity for the rest of his life.
"In my mind, I'm going to be ready," Langdon said. "But to the outside, I'm not going to say I'm going to be ready if I don't know. I'm not going to portray [my return] as a guarantee."
Whether or not he returns, it is obvious that Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils understand the type of leader they have in Langdon. He is respected by everyone on the team, and his return will play a large role in determining how successful the Blue Devils are next year.
"I think that's a critical part for our success-Trajan being healthy, both physically and mentally," Krzyzewski said. "We need him at the point where he doesn't hold anything back mentally as a result of being out for such an extraordinary length of time."
Steve Politi of the Raleigh News and Observer contributed to this story.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.