jjohnson@heraldsun.com; 419-6667
GREENSBORO -- Three possessions. Three buckets.
Freshman Andre Dawkins provided Duke with a spark in the closing minutes of the first half that helped the Blue Devils extend their lead to double digits over Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament championship game Sunday at Greensboro Coliseum.
Dawkins, who has gone through more than the normal ups and downs that freshmen usually experience in the ACC, was at his best in a game that counted the most in the ACC Tournament. His seven points came on a 3-pointer from the right wing, a jumper from the top of the key coming off a screen and an emphatic jam.
"I'm always ready to play my part," said Dawkins, who saw quite a bit of playing time with starter Nolan Smith on the bench with two first-half fouls. "You never know what is going to happen. It can be hard sitting there and waiting, but the coaches are always telling me to be ready. I know I can come in and help."
Dawkins burst on the scene with a fast start, reaching double figures in six of 12 games before the end of December. But a family tragedy coupled with the start of ACC regular-season play weighed on Dawkins, and his offensive production diminished.
The slide began in January. He failed to score in three of the first six games after the semester break. Then after not playing against Clemson but coming back with a pair of seemingly solid performances against Florida State and Georgetown, though in a loss, Dawkins finally hit bottom with another game in which he did not play.
When Dawkins failed to get off the bench on Feb. 4 against Georgia Tech, a game in which the Blue Devils cruised to an 86-67 victory, he knew something had to change. It led to a sitdown with Duke assistants Nate James and Chris Carrawell, who are both steeped in the Duke way of playing basketball.
"They told me what I was doing was unacceptable," Dawkins said. "It was so much to deal with. It was pretty self-explanatory. I wasn't doing it in practice."
It still has been a long climb for Dawkins to make meaningful contributions, but he was ready when called upon against Georgia Tech.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski had the faith to insert Dawkins into the lineup when Smith got his second foul.
"Once he was in there, I kept Nolan out the whole time," Krzyzewski said. "I usually would bring a kid back -- not anybody, but Nolan, Jon [Scheyer] and Kyle [Singler] back and trust them that they wouldn't get their third foul -- but Andre was doing a good job."
Smith said Dawkins' contribution against Georgia Tech in the championship game could provide him with the confidence to again be a spark in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, too.
"Andre was tremendous," Smith said. "We have young guys that can do that every game, give us a lift off the bench. They have so much potential, and they're getting it now. That's exciting for us going into the NCAAs."
