A year ago, Duke center Brian Zoubek was aiming to stay healthy enough to help the Blue Devils make a long postseason run. A national championship later, he's hoping he has proved he can stay healthy enough to help an NBA team, as well.
"I would never have expected this," Zoubek told the Philadelphia Inquirer after working out at the New Jersey Nets training facility recently. "It's been an unbelievable year for me. I feel so blessed to be in this position, and to finally be able to show people what I thought I could do the whole time."
What he can do, at 7 feet 1 and 260 pounds, is rebound, block shots and play tough in the post - skills that, along with his size, could make him a second-round NBA Draft pick on Thursday night. The draft projections aren't as high, perhaps, as he might have hoped when he was rated the No. 38 player in his high school recruiting class by Scout.com (ahead of college standouts such as Connecticut's Hasheem Thabeet, who went on to become the No. 2 overall pick in last year's draft, and Notre Dame All-American Luke Harangody).
But the projections are a huge leap from last summer, when neither fans nor pro scouts knew quite would they would see out of Zoubek's senior season. The big man had played sparingly as a freshman, then foot surgeries before his sophomore and junior seasons limited his output those years, too.
But he stayed healthy in 2009-10, and slowly but surely, his stamina and then his confidence improved. So did his impact.
On Feb. 13 against Maryland, he recorded 16 points and a career-high 17 rebounds, sealing his place in the starting lineup for the rest of the season.
During the last nine games of the regular season (when Duke went 8-1), he averaged 6 points and 8 rebounds.
He finished his college career with his most impressive stretch, averaging 11.3 rebounds in his final five NCAA tournament games - including eight points and 10 rebounds during Duke's 61-59 victory over Butler in the championship showdown.
"Brian was a difference-maker for us," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "There's no way we win the national championship without Brian. With big guys - he's on that growth spurt. Not necessarily height wise, but with confidence. He knows the game. I think he'll do fine [in the NBA]."
So does another former Duke forward who knows a bit about the NBA.
"He has the length, and he has tenacity now,'' said Elton Brand, who now plays for the Philadelphia 76ers. "He can block shots. You saw in the championship game and the tournament, he can get to the offensive boards. You need those big, solid guys down there."
Jay Bilas, who is analyzing the draft for ESPN, predicts that Zoubek will be chosen in the second round, citing his size and his play down the stretch at Duke.
Bilas also predicts that the big man can have a long career - if he stays healthy.
"He knows who he is, and he knows the way he needs to play to be successful," Bilas said. "I think he can come into the NBA and be an effective backup big guy right away. And being an older player and one with the level of experience he's had, and having seen the ups and downs that he's seen, he's going to be valued at the next level."
