Junior Gerald Henderson has returned to Cameron Indoor Stadium, armed with his usual array of thunderous dunks and jaw-dropping blocks, but this year, there is one important difference. His wrist brace is gone.
It's a notable change from last February, when Henderson stepped back onto the floor to face Boston College sporting a black brace on his right wrist only three days after hurting his shooting hand in Duke's victory over North Carolina Feb. 6.
News of the injury got lost in the excitement surrounding the Blue Devils' triumph in Chapel Hill. The abrupt addition to Henderson's gameday ensemble was one of the first worrisome indicators of something gone wrong.
Henderson had torn a ligament in his right hand. Although the lack of media attention on his wrist injury at the time was somewhat perplexing, and everyone involved seemed to downplay its significance, it clearly affected Henderson's play. The athletic wing was playing his best basketball in the games leading up to Feb 6. But in the four-game stretch after the North Carolina win, a period in which Henderson admitted he played "pretty crappy," he averaged only six points per game, down from his 15-point clip in the previous four contests.
And with Henderson struggling, Duke struggled, too.
"You can tell his importance to our team by how we played when he was completely healthy and then how we played afterward," head coach Mike Krzyzewski said.
The Blue Devils compiled an impressive 20-1 record before Henderson was hurt. Afterward, they were 8-5, ending in a disappointing loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The injury was something Henderson could play through-and he did, for Duke's last 13 games-but it was serious enough to merit surgery in the offseason, especially after he re-injured it in Duke's ACC tournament loss to Clemson March 15.
So at the beginning of April, Henderson underwent reconstructive surgery to repair the ligament tear in his right wrist. He had a soft cast on his hand for a month, but even afterward, wasn't allowed to shoot the ball. All told, three and a half months passed before he could play again.
Because of the successful surgery, though, the high-flying junior showed up at the start of this season with his wrist repaired and ready to begin a new campaign.
Not that the Blue Devils were rushing to pin a disappointing finish to 2008 on injury. When senior Greg Paulus was asked if injuries, whether announced or unannounced, wore on the team, he was predictably diplomatic.
"Injuries happen, whether they're in practice, or the games or something happens outside," Paulus said. "That's part of the nature of the game... and that gives other guys chances to step up and fill a role. I don't think those types of things impacted [us]."
But make no mistake, the Blue Devils need Henderson to take his game to the next level, and all the pieces are in place for him to do just that. After dealing with the ligament tear last season and a mistaken asthma diagnosis his first year, the junior is finally healthy and eager to prove himself.
Torn ligament and all, the versatile forward had an impressive showing last March, showing tantalizing flashes of brilliance and asserting himself as a leader. The most striking image of Henderson from the NCAA Tournament might be the wingman's coast-to-coast finger roll against Belmont with 11 seconds remaining, the play that singlehandedly saved Duke from its second consecutive first-round upset.
And so, hoping that those flashes will bloom into a regular force on the court, Krzyzewski appointed Henderson one of the Blue Devils' three captains in September, along with Paulus and fellow junior Jon Scheyer.
Henderson's leadership should go a long way toward filling the gap left by the departure of former captain Demarcus Nelson. The newly appointed co-captain isn't shying away from discussing his contribution to the position. Henderson has taken a page out of Nelson's book, generally leading by example on the floor.
"As a captain, I think I bring more leadership by what I do," Henderson said. "I feel like Greg's more of a vocal leader. He's more of the voice of our team. But myself, I'm more of a 'do' captain."
With opposing teams and NBA scouts alike keying on Henderson this year, it's clear Krzyzewski also has sky-high hopes for the junior. His praise for Henderson's potential has been effusive, but cautious.
"If he has good health, then he has a chance to be a very special basketball player," Krzyzewski said. "He has the ability to get his own shot. If he is 100 percent healthy, then we have, I think, one of the best players in the country playing for us."
If Henderson is healthy, Krzyzewski believes he can match up with anyone on the wing. If he's healthy, he could have the breakout season everyone has been waiting for.
So the question remains: Is he healthy?
The co-captain is quick to reassure fans that he has the full range of motion in his wrist back. He couldn't use his right hand in the offseason, which forced him to further develop his left hand. He might not be completely comfortable with the way the ball comes off his shooting hand yet, but he's working on it. And he says that at game time, it is nothing to worry about.
"It's something I have to get warmed up before every game," Henderson said. "But when I get it going, it's perfectly fine."
For a change, Henderson's wrist was a hot topic for the media at the start of this season. When asked the specifics of his injury, he lifted his hand slightly, pointing to the scar that runs down the top of his hand.
But when asked which ligament he'd torn, Henderson paused.
"I forget, exactly," Henderson said, grinning. "You can look it up."
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