You hear the phrases often in sports, and during the NCAA Tournament they can make Jim Nantz sound like a broken record. Doing the little things; providing a spark; bringing the team together; being the inspirational leader. If you asked each Blue Devil which teammate epitomizes these expressions to the fullest, chances are he would point to sophomore point guard Sean Dockery.
"He lets you know that he's got your back during the game no matter what's happening," sophomore forward Shavlik Randolph said. "Whether it be just talking to you on the bench after you come out, on the personal level, or just giving you a hug after you made a [great play], he lets you know that he's always supporting you."
Dockery's offensive statistics are far from staggering at 3.2 points and 1.3 assists per game. He is not a shooting machine like J.J. Redick, and he cannot impose his size on other point guards like Chris Duhon. But when Dockery comes into the game, his presence elevates the level of everyone else's play.
"The very first thing [he does] when he comes in [is] put disciplined pressure on the ball," head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "When he does that, he can have an impact on how the rest of our defense plays."
Defense is one of Dockery's most obvious strengths, as illuminated by his 1.5 steals per game in only 16 minutes per contest. The sophomore court general takes a lot of pride in his ability to disrupt the opposing offense.
"When I put pressure on a player it motivates [my teammates]," Dockery said. "It kind of brings our team together and when I am doing that for our team I feel good about it."
While Dockery has a unique presence on the floor, he also manages to affect the team positively from the bench. Despite being one of the best players in Chicago high school history, Dockery embraces his role-player status on a very talented team, and his teammates recognize his importance.
"Sean is a very important piece of our puzzle," Shelden Williams said. "He's a high energy player, he's the ultimate teammate. There was a stretch when he wasn't playing well, and he came in and told the team that he doesn't have to play [in order] for him to be 'on the team,' [and] that he can [be] involved in other ways."
As Krzyzewski alluded to following the game against Maryland Feb. 22, one of Dockery's finest assets is his ability to notice something wrong with another player's game, be it physical, emotional, or mental, and help the teammate overcome the problem.
"He's always there picking us up," Luol Deng said. "He's also the first one to let you know when you need to pick it up and the first one helping you out when you're struggling."
A freshman like Deng needs a teammate like Dockery when the pressure-packed NCAA tournament comes rolling around because Dockery will help the rookie to concentrate on basketball. Deng gave a fairly accurate team consensus in summing up his thoughts on Dockery.
"I love that guy," he said.
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