bstrickland@heraldsun.com; 419-6671
DURHAM -- Duke's game tonight against Iowa State in Chicago will serve as a homecoming for senior Jon Scheyer, though he isn't completely sure how he'll be received by the home folks.
"Hopefully it will be a warm crowd," Scheyer said. "I think people will be supportive at this point."
Scheyer knows that the abundance of family and friends that will be on hand at the United Center (9 p.m., ESPN2) will be rooting for him and the No. 5 Blue Devils, but he also knows that everyone in his home state are not among his fans.
Scheyer made national headlines and became a local legend when, as a senior at Glenbrook North High School, he scored 21 points in a 75-second stretch late in a tough loss to Proviso West.
He became a little less popular locally when he announced that he would attend Duke instead of Illinois, a decision that frustrated some Illini supporters even more given that Scheyer's high school coach was David Weber, the brother of Illinois coach Bruce Weber.
David Weber is expected to be in attendance tonight, along with some of Scheyer's high school teammates and plenty of family members.
"The year after I committed, I'd be at a Cubs game, and people would boo me," Scheyer said. "My sister worked for the Blackhawks, and in between periods, I did one of those shooting-the-puck things. They booed me when I went onto center ice.
"She got a Blackhawks sweatshirt, but they still didn't love me very much."
Love him or not, the home folks have to appreciate what Scheyer has accomplished at Duke, particularly in the early going of his senior season.
In Scheyer's first full season as a point guard, he leads the NCAA with a 4.88-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, and he's averaging 22.3 points over the six-game winning streak currently enjoyed by the Blue Devils (12-1).
Scheyer and teammate Kyle Singler are on the Midseason Top 30 list for the Wooden Award.
"Jon is a terrific basketball player, and he has been for his entire time here," said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, a Chicago native who will be coaching in his hometown for the first time since 2004. "He understands the value of the ball, and he also understands his talents. He doesn't try to be somebody else.
"He's not a real quick guy, but he's not a slow guy. He's not a great jumper, but he's a decent jumper. He's not a great ball handler, but he's not going to give up the ball. He does his stuff to its highest level, which is what every player should learn to do. He knows what he's good at, and he becomes excellent at those things."
In addition to Scheyer, tonight's game also should have a unique feel for an Iowa State player. Junior reserve guard Charles Boozer is the younger brother of former Duke star Carlos Boozer.
The Boozer family moved from Alaska to the Triangle when Carlos played at Duke, so Charles Boozer used to hang out with the Duke team.
That being said, Duke's attention against the Cyclones (10-3) will be weighted more toward Craig Brackins, a 6-11 forward who may well belong on the Wooden watch list. Krzyzewski called Brackins, who averages 17.4 points and 8.3 rebounds, a future first-round NBA draft pick.
Tonight's game will be played in an NBA arena, the home of the Chicago Bulls, a place where Scheyer watched many a game growing up but a place where he's never played.
Scheyer hopes to give the home folks another performance to remember.
"I'm excited to get to play in it for once," he said. "Obviously, I'm excited to go back home, but I'm also trying to treat it like another game.
"I'll enjoy it after the game, but before the game, it will be like any other game."
