Freshman James finishes waiting game

You check your watch as you step on the floor at Cameron Indoor Stadium: 3 p.m.-right on time.

Two reporters are already waiting, and a television crew is gathered in one corner. One by one, the players arrive for practice and greet the press-first, a newly-bald Greg Newton, next Jeff Capel and then Trajan Langdon, but still no sign of the man with whom you're scheduled to meet.

You check your watch: three-thirty. Almost everyone has arrived now. But still you wait.

"He'll be out in just a minute," you are told. You were told the same thing 10 minutes ago. Practice will be over, you think to yourself, before he ever gets here.

Think you know something about waiting? Think again.

Nate James emerges from the locker room at 3:45, and as soon as he starts talking, you realize that you don't have any idea what it means to wait. Want to know what real anticipation feels like? Try waiting an extra eight weeks before getting to play in your first collegiate game. Try watching from the bench as your roommates show up on SportsCenter and in Sports Illustrated. Then see two of your old high-school buddies steal a win from your new team. And then look down at your right arm every day and see the only thing keeping you from electrifying the Cameron Crazies-a thick plaster cast.

When Nate James finally hit the Cameron floor on Jan. 11, against second-ranked Wake Forest, a new era began. But perhaps more importantly, another era-one that seemed to last forever-came to an end. James ended his two-month stint as Duke's only male cheerleader, taking his fist-pumping, high-fiving act from the bench to the court. No longer forced to sit helplessly with the managers and assistant coaches, James proved that patience is indeed a virtue-but only to a point.

Sidelined since Nov. 17 with torn ligaments in his thumb, James finally got the OK to suit up against Wake Forest. He wasn't supposed to play much, if at all, against the undefeated Demon Deacons. But James was tired of waiting, and he decided to erase two months frustration in about 30 seconds.

"It's just natural; it's the way I play," James said. "Basketball's just a game, and a game's supposed to be fun."

Nobody appreciates that approach more than the Duke fans. In the arena Al McGuire once called "an absolute zoo," nothing incites the animals in the stands more than a fired-up member of the home team. James knows the importance of a home-court advantage. After all, during his four years in high school he never lost a home game, posting a 44-0 record at St. John's at Prospect Hall in Frederick, Md.

"The Cameron Crazies-they're just great," James said with reverence. "I wouldn't want to play anywhere else. They really get you hyped up and ready to play the game."

James doesn't need as much help as most to get hyped up and ready-he takes care of that on his own.

"He loves to play, he loves to be on the court," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "He smiles all the time and he never gets down."

And does that enthusiasm spread to the rest of the team?

"It does," Krzyzewski said. "He showed that even while he was hurt. And his enthusiasm was for what other guys were doing. That [team mentality] makes it easy to play with him. He's interested in getting other guys going."

For a player who idolized Magic Johnson as a kid, James' well-rounded game and outgoing attitude are not surprising.

"He makes himself an integral part of the team because of his ability to communicate so well with everybody," Krzyzewski said. "He's the ultimate team player, team guy."

Need more proof? Ask James' teammates.

"He's always talking in practice," Newton said. "If you're doing things wrong he'll let you know. He's going to be a great team leader."

Not exactly the sort of talk you'd expect to hear about a freshman. But then, James isn't your average low-key freshman, just trying to fit in.

"Nate brings the intensity level, and if he's working his butt off... and the guys that he's playing with aren't doing the same thing, then you know he's going to get on you," Newton said.

James' natural leadership made his injury that much more difficult to take. Unable even to practice with the team, James still tried to make his presence felt during games with his high-spirited support. But all the screaming, dancing and cajoling in the world couldn't help James change the outcomes of heart-breaking Duke losses against Michigan and Clemson. Seeing his former St. John's mates, Tony Christie and Andrius Jurkunas, on the floor for Clemson didn't make things any better.

"He realized how much he missed the game by being out," Capel said. "That happens to players sometimes. Even when he wasn't playing, you could see how much he wanted to be out there, and once he got his chance [against Wake], he just let it all out. He was out there having a great time. He gave us a huge lift."

James' debut against Wake touched off a whirlwind week that included starting his first collegiate game (Wednesday), starting his second-semester classes (Thursday) and participating in just his third practice of the regular season (Friday). It's no wonder he has trouble making it to appointments on time-the man is busier than Michael Irvin's attorney.

All of this doesn't seem to bother James a bit. He takes it all in stride, having already handled a delay that makes a reporter's 45-minute wait seem meaningless.

"I think I handled it pretty well," said James. "I'm one to believe that God... makes everything in a way, for a purpose. I think that my injury was just one way to help me think about all the things I had and things I took for granted."

But even the mature James isn't done learning. On Wednesday, he didn't hear his name announced over the PA system during the introductions. While his teammates laughed uncontrollably, James remained seated on the bench, pumping himself up for his first start. It took a second introduction and a shove from Newton finally to get James on the floor.

"Just like a rookie," Capel said, chuckling and shaking his head. "I don't know if he was too excited or what... Nate gets very excited, you know. He's very emotional."