swiseman@heraldsun.com; 419-6671
DURHAM – Nearly three years into his Duke basketball career, hope is a big part of Andre Dawkins place within the Blue Devils attack.
Coming off a 24-point game that led Duke over Clemson 73-66 last Sunday night, Dawkins wants to parlay it into more production.
“Hopefully,” Dawkins said, “I can build on this.”
Duke returns to game action tonight for the first time since Dawkins' big game at Clemson. The No. 4 Blue Devils welcome Wake Forest to Cameron Indoor Stadium for an ACC contest (7:02 p.m., ESPN).
Having seen Dawkins score 26 points in a 74-69 win over Michigan State on Nov. 15, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski knows what the 6-4 junior is capable of delivering.
But also seeing how Dawkins has had two games where he was scoreless and he scored only six points as recently as a Jan. 7 81-74 win at Georgia Tech, Krzyzewski also invokes hope in his analysis.
“Hopefully Andre will play that way every game,” Krzyzewski said of the Clemson and Michigan State performances. “I don’t know if he can. He’s done that a number of times. It’s like you’re trying to get consistency. But two of the biggest games we’ve had – there’s no way we win that without him.”
Talent isn’t the question with Dawkins. He’s gifted with one of the better shooting strokes in the ACC as well as athleticism that gives him the ability to be among Duke’s better perimeter defenders.
But, simply put, he hasn’t been able to string solid games together throughout his Duke career.
He started Duke’s first 11 games this season, scoring in double figures three times, but was benched after a scoreless night in Duke’s 85-63 loss at Ohio State on Nov. 29.
He responded to that decision by becoming a force off the bench. Dawkins averaged 13 points per game in wins over Colorado State, Washington and UNC-Greensboro.
But over Duke’s next four games, ending with the Georgia Tech win, Dawkins scored only 14 points combined.
“Part of it is human nature,” Dawkins said. “You have success and get complacent. That’s what separates great guys from normal guys. When they get some success, they want more. Hopefully I can take that mindset and bring that approach to the next few games and hopefully keep building on this.”
His coaches, and other players who have watched him during his Duke career, believe there’s solid reason to maintain hope.
Nolan Smith, last year’s ACC player of the year, played two seasons with Dawkins before joining the Portland Trail Blazers as a first-round draft pick this season.
He stays in regular contact with several of his old teammates, including Dawkins. The two had a conversation following Duke’s 78-73 loss at Temple on Jan. 4.
“He has the tools to be so good,” Smith said this week in a telephone interview. “He can shoot with anybody in the country. He can jump with anyone in the country. It’s about reminding him he can do it every single night. It’s about giving him that confidence to keep going and keep going. I know he has the ability to do it every single night.”
Dawkins hasn’t had an easy time since arriving at Duke. He graduated a year early from Atlantic Shores Christian High School in Chesapeake, Va., to join the Blue Devils for the 2009-10 season.
On Dec. 5, 2009, his older sister, Lacey, was killed in a car accident while she was en route from her home in Ohio to Durham to see Andre play. Her memory is permanently with Andre, who has her name tattooed on his right wrist with the date 12-5-09 on his left wrist.
Later that season, he hit two key 3-pointers that helped Duke beat Baylor and reach the Final Four, where the Blue Devils won the 2010 national championship.
Last season, he made a team-best 64 3-pointers while starting seven games. He averaged 8.1 points per game for the 32-5 Blue Devils, who won their second consecutive ACC Tournament championship.
Now that he’s a junior, Dawkins is expected to be a main contributor, as Krzyzewski pointed out last Sunday night.
By scoring 10 points in a 61-58 win over Virginia on Jan. 12 and 24 at Clemson three nights later, Dawkins earned Krzyzewski’s praise.
“He’s been terrific,” Krzyzewski said, talking about Dawkins' defense as well as his scoring.
But will it continue? That’s what Krzyzewski and many others are waiting to see.
“When you do something really good, people like to stay with what they’ve done really good instead of using it as a foundation for that word called better,” Krzyzewski said. “Better comes with maturity. Once you get better, that’s what you end up doing and that’s what you are.”
Dawkins hopes consistency arrives this time.
“A lot of times in my career,” he said, “I’ve had a good game and kind of fallen back a bit. So hopefully I can keep playing well and keep it going.”
