Duke's Gerald Henderson Soaring Above Expectations

It's never been a secret that Duke's Gerald Henderson is a player with the potential to be a dominant force in the ACC. He's the most athletic player in the conference with the build of an NBA star, and his explosive leaping ability and affinity for being on the receiving end of alley-oops have made him a regular on SportsCenter's Top Plays.

But while his potential has always been obvious, the answer to whether or not he would ever live up to it has been, at best, unclear.

That is until this season, and particularly until Duke's loss to Michigan on Dec. 6.  Before that game, Henderson looked like the player he has been since his freshman year in the 2006-07 season—occasionally brilliant, occasionally invisible, but mostly somewhere in-between. His scoring was erratic, with multiple double-figure performances followed by games with virtually no offensive output.

But in the last nine games, Henderson, it seems, has transformed into the player that Duke fans, and Mike Krzyzewski (who said Henderson could be one of the greatest Duke players of all time while recruiting him), have been waiting for.

Before Duke's loss to Michigan, Henderson averaged 10.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. While his rebounding of late has remained consistent with his early season performances, his scoring has, like Henderson does so well, jumped to impressive heights.

In the last nine games, Henderson is averaging 18.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. He's shooting 55.6 percent from the field and an incredible 54 percent from behind the arc. His free-throw shooting also remains high at 80.6 percent.

In his four ACC games, Henderson is averaging 20 points per game and has, at times, singlehandedly kept the Blue Devils alive during long scoring droughts (just ask NC State and Florida State). All this from a player who was not selected as a first team All-ACC player in the preseason.

What's perhaps most encouraging for Blue Devil fans is that Henderson is starting to look like a truly complete player. His mid-range game has been phenomenal, his defense has been impressive, and his confidence is apparent and infectious to his teammates.

Duke fans have been waiting for a player to emerge as the definitive go-to guy since J.J. Redick graduated in 2006. A few players (Josh McRoberts, DeMarcus Nelson, and Kyle Singler) have flirted with that role since then, but Henderson, it seems, has finally gotten over his fear of commitment and settled down as Duke's game-changer.