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DURHAM -- Following his first college start nine days ago against St. John's, Duke freshman Mason Plumlee declared himself completely healed from a broken bone in his left wrist.
"I feel like I'm fully back," Plumlee said. "I feel 100 percent. I feel good."
Plumlee insisted he wasn't rusty, even though he missed three weeks of practice after suffering the injury in practice on Nov. 11.
Duke fans were thrilled to see him back in the mix before the school's exam break rather than after it, but in two games, Plumlee looked like he still needed some schooling.
He started against St. John's but played just seven minutes, scoring four points and grabbing two rebounds. In his college debut at Wisconsin on Dec. 2, Plumlee came off the bench and played 10 minutes, missing his lone shot attempt while committing three fouls.
Plumlee and the Blue Devils return to action Tuesday, when Gardner-Webb visits Cameron Indoor Stadium (7 p.m., ESPN2).
"He's getting back into the flow," Duke senior Lance Thomas said. "Getting his confidence back, that's big."
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said that Plumlee still needs to improve physically, but Plumlee also has plenty of improving to do in other areas as well. The 6-10, 230-pounder impressed enough in practice before the injury that Krzyzewski declared him a starter, but that doesn't mean Plumlee gets to skip the growing pains that college freshmen face.
"He didn't get thrown into games where we were winning by 25 points. Right away he was thrown into Wisconsin and St. John's," Krzyzewski said. "That's a big difference. There's a big difference going from high school to doing that.
"He'll be a really good player, but he's got to get that experience."
So far, Duke's biggest contribution from a freshman has come from guard Andre Dawkins. Dawkins is Duke's only recruited scholarship player coming off the bench that plays a true perimeter position, and he's given the Blue Devils lots of starter-quality minutes.
Dawkins is averaging 9.9 points per game, having hit more than half his 3-pointers. Through eight games, he's hit multiple 3-pointers in six games, all while turning the ball over just twice.
Dawkins has returned to school after spending exam week at home in order to deal with a family tragedy. His sister, Lacey, died in an automobile accident on her way to see Dawkins play against St. John's, and his biological mother, Tamara Hill, was injured.
Duke's other freshman, Ryan Kelly, had has his moments. The 6-10 Kelly is averaging 10 minutes a game -- he didn't play at all at Wisconsin -- and has averaged 3.4 points per game. He's played predominantly on the perimeter and on the wing, having hit a trio of 3s.
While Dawkins and Kelly were getting some seasoning, Plumlee watched from the sidelines in street clothes.
"It was tough," Plumlee said. "Obviously you don't want to miss anything, but now that I'm back, I'll just put that in the past and move on."
With so many big men at Duke's disposal, Krzyzewski decided to go with the hot hands against St. John's. So while the brothers Plumlee -- Mason and Miles -- started, veterans Thomas and Brian Zoubek finished, combining for 22 points and 15 rebounds.
"I told the big guys that we were going to alternate a lot, and if we hit on certain guys playing well, then they'd play more," Krzyzewski said. "That's how we're going to bring these guys along."
Thomas is among those who don't doubt that such an approach will benefit Mason Plumlee in the near future.
"He's played all right," Thomas said, "but he's going to give us a lot in the next month or so."
