Four of a kind; The Fab Four; The Best... ever.

All of these labels and dozens more have been attatched to Duke basketball's incoming freshman class. Most, if not all, major recruiting publications have named the Blue Devils' incoming quartet of Will Avery, Shane Battier, Elton Brand and Chris Burgess the year's best. Some have even ventured to call it the best in history.

Add to the individual accolades the fact that last year coach Mike Krzyzewski's squad was within arm's reach of a return to the glory days. As a result Duke fans across the country have pointed to this influx of talent as the catalyst that will thrust Duke back to the pinnacle of college basketball.

With all that weight on their shoulders, how are these guys supposed to play basketball?

Take a look at the last four-member recruiting class to pass through Duke. Jeff Capel, Greg Newton, Carmen Wallace and Joey Beard arrived at Duke in the fall of '93 with much the same hype. Beard was supposed to be the next Christian Laettner, Newton Duke's first true center since Mike Gminski and Wallace and Capel were both top-50 prospects.

The result: Fast forward to March 16, 1997-the last game played by that group as seniors, a loss to Providence in the second round of the NCAAs. Only one member of that class, Capel, was even on the floor that afternoon. Wallace and Newton watched from the end of the bench, and Beard probably checked out the box score from his apartment at Boston University. Not exactly what fans had in mind four years ago.

So what about this class will be different? Are they going to have a better team around them to ease them into it all? The '93 class had Grant Hill. Are they just that much better? Only hindsight will tell for sure.

For all four, overcoming the pressure begins with forgetting about the hype and just getting out on the hardwood.

31 Mr. Everything

Start with the 6-foot-8 forward who kicked it all off by becoming the first member to verbally commit to Duke-Shane Battier. The Birmingham, Mich. native boasts impeccable credentials, including the 1997 National High School Player of the Year award. He also led his high school, Detroit Country Day, to three consecutive state titles, but what separates him most is his poise. When faced with the question of how the pressure will affect him, he says it won't- and to be sure, his words do not ring hollow.

"I really don't feel any pressure," Battier said. "The way I look at it, it's not four freshmen coming in to try and save the day. We're coming in to a really talented team, a team that had a taste of success last year and is looking to go further this year. I look at it as we're supplementing the talent, hopefully bridge the gap so we can go even further."

What Battier adds to the team on the floor is an all-around game that some have likened to Grant Hill's. But Battier naturally shies away from the comparison, preferring to rely more on his mental game than his physical gifts.

"I think the strength of my game lies in the intelligence," Battier said. "I'm pretty aware of what's going on everywhere on the floor. I'm not one of these super-human athletes who can jump out of the gym or run like a deer, but I'll dive for the loose ball or take the charge or hit the open jump shot. I'm not flashy, but definitely solid."

But, in his most productive season, he averaged 21 points, 14 boards and six blocks per game his junior year. Recruiting analysts consider him the complete package-even if he doesn't think so.

34 A Confident Heir

Chris Burgess provides the perfect contrast in attitudes. His reputation precedes him in the eyes of many. He's good-real good-and he's not afraid to let you know.

The truth is, while Burgess indeed exudes confidence, he understands perfectly what a difficult road lies ahead of him.

"I'm real excited, knowing that every time I step on the court, someone is better than me and I have to work and try and earn my spot," Burgess said. "Even though we got all this hype as a freshman class, we still have to earn our spots.

"If people are better than me and they're going to start over me, it's not because I wasn't playing as hard as I could. I'm going to do whatever I can and, wherever my role is, I'll accept it. It will take me a little bit to adjust, to get used to the college game, but I know I'll find my place. It's just a matter of time; I just hope it's before November."

To see the softer side of the ever-confident Burgess, you need only consult his family. These are nice people. Take their answering machine message:

"Hi there, and thank you for calling the home and office of Ken and Sandy Burgess and family. That's Ben, Chris, Josh and David as well (all chimed in by a younger second voice).... Have a super day."

Happy people, those Burgesses.

On the court, Burgess brings to the table the same tools that have made past Duke big men national players of the year.

"I've always wanted to play like Danny Ferry and Christian Laettner, and since they developed at Duke and that was the program for them, then that's the program for me," Burgess said. "I'm not a center. I'm a power forward who can post up but who can also square up and shoot, and that's the style of play coach has said he wants from me."

Burgess has spent the summer elevating the level of his competition by playing pick up games with ex-NBA and foreign professional players. He has also enlisted the help of fellow Woodbridge High graduate and current member of the NBA's Utah Jazz, Adam Keefe, in training three days a week.

42 Inside Muscle

Although Burgess prefers to play the part of the finesse inside player, Elton Brand fits the mold of the traditional hard-nosed, tough-in-the-trenches big man.

The 6-foot-8, 245-lb power forward capped a spectacular senior season by shining in the post-season all-star games, highlighted by a 22-point performance in the Capital Classic that earned him MVP honors. He also notched 16 points and nine rebounds during only 17 minutes in the McDonald's All-American game. The Peekskill, N.Y. native saw his stock rise throughout the year, as he soared from a solid top-20 prospect in the fall all the way into some analysts top three early this summer.

With Brand, it's not a matter of being humble or cocky, its a matter of knowing exactly what he's here to do-help plug the hole in the middle that seemed to be Duke's Achilles heel at the end of last year.

"My strengths are obviously down low and rebounding-I can block some shots too," Brand said. "I'll have to wait and see, but I know that the opportunity will be there. Chris can rebound and so can Shane, so we'll be able to add something under the boards."

As coaches constantly preach, size is something you cannot teach. And Brand not only has the height but the brawn to go along with it. Add to that his patient attitude and knack for continuous improvement, and Brand is every bit as capable of handling the pressure as anyone.

5 The Distributor

Talk about pressure. The one guy who is likely to experience as much pressure on the court as off is the guy who one day will be responsible for getting the other three guys the ball-Will Avery.

What sets Avery apart is his versatility and aggressive style of play. The 6-foot-2 Avery, touted primarily as a point guard, is also a gifted shooting guard.

When Avery and his Oak Hill high school team traveled to Chapel Hill this spring to take on Durham's Mt. Zion, Avery easily out dueled Mt. Zion point guard, and Georgia Tech recruit, Travis Spivey. He also impacted the game at least as much as Mt. Zion's Tracy McGrady, the ninth selection in this June's NBA draft [Toronto Raptors].

Whether cooly sinking 22-foot three-pointers or driving to the basket and dishing to his open teammates, Avery showed that he can provide the Blue Devils with the kind of aggressive ball-handling that can create opportunities for everyone else.

"I'm a good shooter, and if I'm on, I'm going to keep shooting from the perimeter," Avery said. "If not, I'm going to take it to the basket and either get fouled or create something for someone else. I think Coach K really wants that kind of offense. I can push the ball up the floor and get a lot of points for us in transition, and that will make the players around me much better."

And when it comes to performing under a microscope, Avery has already overcome an even bigger challenge. During his first three years of high school at home in Augusta, Ga., Avery let his grades drop far below what those who knew him well considered his potential. He proved he had the academic skills by easily reaching the NCAA requirements on the SAT, but he had only one year to prove himself in the classroom. During his senior year, Avery came through in the clutch at Oak Hill, earning straight A's and B's to gain his eligibility.

"I matured a lot in going to Oak Hill," Avery said. "I learned up there that if you want something bad, you have to work for it. I realized that if I didn't get the job done, I'd be riding the bus to community college next year and I didn't want that. When you really want something, you're going to do it, no matter how hard it is."

And if any of the four have trouble dealing with the pressure individually, they have the other three to lean on. The ties of this group far exceed those of a normal incoming freshman class. They know each other from various camps and all-star games over the last several years; off the court, their relationships have extended even further.

Battier openly encouraged Burgess to sign with Duke. Brand and Avery made most of their recruiting visits together and uged each other repeatedly to choose Duke. They even played together on the same team once already, competing for the USA Select team in Orlando, Fla. in June.

If the hype and praise has already gotten to Krzyzewski's prize recruiting class, he has some observations that should remind all four what the reality of their situation is.

"I think the perception out there is that we have more talent than we've ever had, and that's not true," Krzyzewski said. "We have more talent than we've had in the last few years, but we've had teams with more talent. So we would bring this team along like we did those teams.

"No one has been promised anything except a fair shake."

Four years from now, will that fair shake end up translating into one starter and a trio of disappointments at the end of their careers, or will it be a different tale this time around?

As the cliche goes, only time will tell. But somehow you sense that this time, history is not doomed to repeat itself.