Kelly Makes Most of First Big Game Opportunity

Duke's 2009 recruiting class was hailed for yielding two skilled big men to bolster a front-court that most national prognosticators had deemed the Blue Devils' weakness for much of the post-Shelden Williams era. But while Mason Plumlee has stolen most of the spotlight (at least before a wrist injury contributed to him losing his projected starting job), many may have forgotten that it was in fact Ryan Kelly who was the higher-rated prospect of the two, at least according to both Scout.com and Rivals.com.

Kelly did take advantage of the extra minutes provided by Plumlee's injury early on in the season against the traditional "tune-up" opponents, averaging 16 minutes per game in Duke's first four contests, including scoring eight points in the season opener against UNC Greensboro and nine against Radford.

But when Duke entered the meat of their non-conference schedule, Kelly seemed to disappear.  The freshman played only a combined 12 minutes against Arizona State and Connecticut, failing to score in either game. Kelly didn't see the floor at all in Duke's loss at Wisconsin, and then scored only two points in six minutes against St. John's.

The common denominator amongst these higher-caliber opponents was their stronger front-courts, which made Kelly, who head coach Mike Krzyzewski said before the season would serve mostly as a perimeter player due to an illness over the summer that impeded his development, a less appealing option in the post. Still, it might have seemed mildly alarming that the player that many considered the gem of Duke's 2009 recruiting class was failing to produce on the biggest stages.

Saturday against Gonzaga, however, Kelly might have taken his first steps in putting those fears to rest.  

While Kelly only scored five points, his ten minutes of game action was by far the most he'd seen against any of Duke's more challenging opponents (even if much of that came in garbage time of a surprising blowout victory). While Kelly also added three rebounds and an impressive four blocks, it was the way he played, not necessarily his stat-line, that should prove encouraging, especially against a solid Gonzaga frontline that included two players over seven feet tall (including one 7-foot-5 beheamoth).

When Duke was mired in an offensive slump early in the game, Kelly's entrance off the bench proved an immediate spark, as the freshman confidently hit an open jumper to give the Blue Devils a 6-2 lead. For perhaps the first time on the big stage, Kelly seemed composed on the offensive end of the court, showing off his sweet-stroke once again in the game's waning moments with a three-pointer. What's more, Kelly's early-season defensive struggles were a complete afterthought, as Kelly used his 6-foot-10 frame to disrupt opponents passing lanes and contest, if not block, many Bulldog shots.