Nate James has never been one to shy away from a challenge.
The recent Duke graduate missed half of his first season as a Blue Devil and almost all of his second season due to injury. He returned the next year to help Duke to the championship game, and then weathered the departure of four teammates to the NBA. Although he was a captain on this year's championship team, he also lost his starting spot at the end of the season. Last month James became one of the latest graduating seniors to fall victim to a professional league often seen as cradle-robbing.
But now that he is at a new threshold in his basketball career, James shows no sign of letting up.
"He's a mature, together guy with a good foundation that can handle a bunch of things," said James' agent, Glenn Schwartzman of Alliance Sports Management.
Now living and playing among the ranks of the undrafted, the 6-foot-6, 200-pound guard is looking to find his niche in a crowded field of NBA wannabees. That quest continues this week, as James begins work with the Washington Wizards in the Boston summer league.
Under the watchful eyes of professional scouts, he will play alongside others of similar size and ability. Schwartzman picks James to stand out, although not necessarily because of his key role on a championship team. He averaged 12.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game his senior year, making almost 50 percent of his field goals.
But proven ability matters decidedly less in an era ruled by potential--even that predicted-type of potential that might not manifest itself for years. So what may prove pivotal for James--whose career almost ended early due to injury--is his mental toughness, that tenacity and on-court charisma he was known for in college.
"Certainly he's good enough to make a team--he's a good player and a good person--but it's all about situations," Schwartzman said. "We cannot control the number of minutes he gets. He just has to take advantage of the minutes he does get."
That wasn't much of a problem when he was a Blue Devil.
Barked at incessantly in Cameron by "Nate's Dogg House," James earned a reputation for playing hard and was named to the All-ACC third team and ACC All-Defensive team his senior year. His efforts did not always show up in the box scores--he only scored in double figures three times--but the leadership and maturity of the fifth-year senior helped spark Duke whenever it faltered.
That attitude was perhaps best displayed in Duke's most gut-wrenching victory last season, the 95-84 win over Maryland in the national semifinals after the Blue Devils overcame a 22-point first-half deficit. James grabbed 9 rebounds, including 6 offensive boards, to match his 9 points. But more importantly, his aggressive play seemed to inspire a shocked crowd and team, earning a singling-out from coach Mike Krzyzewski.
"We are Duke and as long as we keep playing, we know we can come back," James said after the game. "We were just thinking about settling down. I think we just lost our composure. Once we regrouped, we got ourselves back together."
Those are all just pleasant memories for James now that he has moved to the next level. Despite Duke fans' hopes that lingered until the end of the NBA Draft's second round, few were surprised that James went undrafted.
"This was a record year for underclassmen," Schwartzman noted. "Nate at least comes out of Duke so he is known and people are aware of him."
If he impresses enough scouts in his summer play he could be signed by a team looking for a hard-working rookie. Otherwise, it may take time in Europe or elsewhere to get another look. But if his mentality at Duke was any indication, he is up to the challenge.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.