The NCAA is riding on a wave of underclassmen that started gaining strength last season, and the ACC is a perfect model of this trend. Last year, the ACC had 61 percent underclassmen and this year it has 53 percent. Sophomores and freshmen dominate All-Conference teams and continue to impress basketball fans with youthful presence.
Maybe it's a function of players leaving early for the NBA, or of the increased competition in college recruitment, but the leagues' younger players are taking each conference by storm.
Two sophomores--Ike Diogu of Arizona State, and Raymond Felton of North Carolina--claimed positions in the Associated Press release of the preseason All-American team.
Duke is in no way isolated from this trend. In fact, in true Blue Devil fashion, Duke remains a sterling example of ACC trends and strengths. The Blue Devils return six sophomores, and with the addition of freshman Luol Deng and the return of Chris Duhon, they seem to have found an ideal team chemistry: An experienced senior leader, someone who's "been there," keeping a group of young talent together.
"I definitely wouldn't say I'm a veteran," sophomore Shavlik Randolph said. "I do have more experience behind me now but I'm still following guys like Chris [Duhon]. He's got a lot of experience, he's won a national championship, so he knows what it takes."
This formula seemed to work last year with the Demon Deacons, who fought their way with the 2003 regular season ACC title. Under the leadership of an outstanding individual player, former senior Josh Howard, the younger players of Wake Forest, including Williams, contributed to a 25-6 final record and the Demon Deacons' most successful season since their last ACC title in 1962.
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski has ordered up a similar blend for his 2003-2004 team. While the Blue Devils are hesitant to place Deng at the level of Carmelo Anthony, the freshman who led Syracuse to last year's NCAA championship, his unlimited talent as well as the maturation of the sophomore class will make Duke a force to reckon with during the regular season.
"We want to be balanced, but we have an outstanding perimeter," Krzyzewski said after the EA Sports exhibition game. "They are all guys who have achieved, except Luol, but Luol is talented so he'll achieve early... He's an excellent player already, he's only going to get better."
Deng, modest while reflecting on his abilities, is a perfect example of how young players contribute to a team.
"I might lead the team somehow but I'm not an individual leader," the star freshman said. "We have leaders such as the seniors with such experience no matter how good I am they'll always have that over me. I could lead in the way that I'm a versatile player and maybe rebounding but when it comes to communicating and talking I don't think I can be a leader in that sense."
There may not be another Carmelo Anthony--the season will have to progress farther to make that judgment call--but there is certainly a world of potential among the underclassmen of the nation's top schools. While Connecticut's Emeka Okafor is the nation's top player at the moment, in two years Duke's young talent will be seasoned veterans, leading a sophomore class of Livingstons and Nelsons. For now, watch out for the underclassmen.
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