DeMarcus Nelson could not help but sense the lack of pride last year.
He noticed how the players were not taking the charges they normally did, were not diving at loose balls with reckless abandon like they once did and were not confronting each other when they most needed to.
Perhaps most disappointing, however, is that the 2006-2007 squad did not resemble the great Duke teams of the past. The Blue Devils suffered two four-game losing streaks and lost numerous close games in the final moments, including their loss to VCU in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
"We just had a lack of collective toughness," Nelson said. "In every game there's a point that determines games. We didn't make those plays, and we lost a lot of games."
One of the major problems, head coach Mike Krzyzewski said, was that the team did not have any strong leaders. Even though Krzyzewski named Nelson, Greg Paulus and Josh McRoberts captains last season, nobody in the locker room could teach the team's culture of winning. Nelson was a junior who missed significant time as an underclassman due to injuries. Paulus and McRoberts were just sophomores, the youngest players to ascend to the captaincy in team history.
Heading into this season, the coaching staff decided that they would allow just one player to be captain. They let the players vote for who would become their sole official leader.
That player turned out to be Nelson.
"You get accustomed to doing certain things and sometimes you forget why you're doing it and the importance of what you're doing," Krzyzewski said of naming captains. "The captaincy of our team wasn't elevated to the stature that it should be-to the level it should be. It was diluted a little bit."
Krzyzewski, however, does not expect it to remain watered down. He expects Nelson to flourish in his role, even though the senior himself felt he did not perform up to expectations last year.
"I'm up for the job, and I'm going to do my best to make sure this team is ready to play every single day," Nelson said. "We're not going to give in to adversity. It's up to me, and I take responsibility."
He has certainly set the tone with his words-he does not shy away from taking ownership of the team. His willingness to lead vocally is a welcome change from years past for the coaching staff.
But can he set the tone with his actions?
Both Krzyzewski and Nelson believe the answer is a resounding "yes".
"If [the captain is] leading a team, he has to be at his best every day for everyone else to be able to follow him," Nelson said. "If everyone's doing that, then he's better."
The odd man out in the situation for this season's captain is Paulus. While McRoberts left for the NBA after the team's first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament, Paulus worked his way through foot surgery in the offseason and intensive rehabilitation, only to find out he would not be re-elected captain.
The coaches felt that at times, Paulus was not aggressive enough as a leader, and that he confused helping people with leading people. Krzyzewski noted that if Paulus could learn the differenc e between assisting and directing, the point guard would improve a great deal.
Paulus, however, said not being elected captain does not affect his play on the court.
"It doesn't change what I'm going to do, how I'm going to perform or what I can do out there," Paulus said. "It's not weird, it's just different."
Paulus does not have to stand back on the sidelines and let Nelson do all the leading either. Krzyzewski noted that his junior and sophomore years at West Point, he felt he helped lead the team even though he did not become a captain until his senior year.
Nelson, however, has the most experience on the team, and Krzyzewski expects his lone senior to lead by example. With just a few months left in his college career, it would be easy for Nelson to get distracted by a possible future in the NBA.
Instead, he remains focused in the moment, hoping to guide the Blue Devils to more success than last season.
"I'm going to do the best job I can to make sure this team has a great year and this team is remembered in Duke's legacy," Nelson said. "It's my team."
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