Duke Basketball: Brian Zoubek Finally Proving Worth for Devils Down Low

I can imagine that every Duke basketball fan one time or another has found himself puzzled with Brian Zoubek. Not because he is a 7'1", 250 pound center on the team, but for his lack of ability down low in the post.

People haven't always felt this way about Zoubek, however.

Great things were expected from Zoubek as a Freshman, but he never really got off the ground running. Granted, injuries in large part have affected his play.

A once highly-touted recruit coming out of New Jersey, Zoubek is now in his final season at Duke. Although there is very little to show in his career stats column, he has been out to prove the doubters wrong since his senior year began.

Entering his final season under Coach K, this is the first year that Zoubek has been completely healthy coming off the offseason and advancing into preseason play. During his Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior campaigns, Zoubek had to nurse injuries to his knee and feet heading into the new season.

This year, however, Zoubek was able to work on his foot-speed, conditioning, shooting, and physical stature during the summer, improving his game in all aspects. He also dropped 20 pounds over this time as well.

It sure has proven to make a difference down low for the Blue Devils this season.

Duke teams in the past have been noted for their all-purpose guards: guards who are known for driving to the basket to create their own shot, kicking it out to open players on the perimeter, and spotting it up from the three-point line.

The 2009-2010 version of the Blue Devils, along with Zoubek as the anchor in the middle, are different from these previous Duke teams.

Lance Thomas, who is 6'8", along with a trio of 6'10" players in Miles Plumlee, Mason Plumlee, and Ryan Kelly, have made this one of the taller Duke teams in recent history. Add Zoubek to the list and this probably ranks as the tallest team that Coach K has ever coached.

This group of Duke big men are experienced (Thomas and Zoubek are seniors) and very inexperienced (Miles is a sophomore whereas Mason Plumlee and Kelly are true freshmen).

They also consist of athletically gifted players (The Plumlees and Thomas) and ones that are not so gifted physically (Zoubek and Kelly).

Zoubek has matured into an efficient interior presence for the Blue Devils now that he is completely healthy, rebounding the ball extremely well through the first nine games of the season by leading Duke with an average of 7.8 boards per contest.

In No. 7 Duke's 113-68 win over Gardner-Webb, Zoubek was a force inside, scoring 13 points and racking up eight rebounds in the win. He is steadily improving on both sides of the floor, and has become one of the Blue Devil's top big men.

Although there is a lot of depth to the Blue Devil's frontcourt, Mason Plumlee has only seen action in three games while recovering from a fractured wrist and Ryan Kelly has seen limited time on the court.

That is why, for the first time in his career, Brian Zoubek is getting to play significant minutes for Coach K and Duke. After working hard in the offseason to improve his game, Zoubek has been one of the main reasons why Duke is 8-1 and ranked in the Top 10 heading into their matchup with Gonzaga on Saturday.

Brian Zoubek is finally living up to the hype that was surrounding him three years ago when he accepted his scholarship to play for Duke. He is finally proving his worth to the Blue Devils down low, and although he will not overwhelm you athletically, he is a presence in the interior that you can't help but notice.