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Duke

Now healthy, Zoubek making an impact for Duke

By Jake Lloyd

Jan 15, 2009

Happiness has come easy for Brian Zoubek this season whenever the 7-foot-1 Duke center steps onto the court.

Why? Because, as mentioned, he's stepping onto the court. And when he does, he feels 100 percent healthy. He's not worried about tweaking his foot.

For the former Parade All-America, just getting playing time, just being a part of Duke's team, has been a constant struggle. When Zoubek was starting to play some of his best basketball the summer before the 2007-08 season, he broke his foot and had to undergo surgery.

He returned during the season only to re-injure the foot. He played in 25 of 34 games, but didn't contribute much and was never completely healthy. This was confirmed after the season when Zoubek had a second surgery.

Instead of working on his game, Zoubek spent most of the summer rehabbing his foot — again. But he was able to retake the court in September, the metal shank in his large shoe is now gone, and the big fellow is finally enjoying life as a college basketball player.

"It's great, it allows me to have a lot more fun," Zoubek said of being healthy. "I'm so much more confident out there, I'm so much more comfortable.

"One of the things that I really missed last year was not being out there all the time, not sharing that with my teammates — the camaraderie, going after something and fighting for something.

"It's hard to get when you're stuck on the bench with fouls or because you're not healthy."

Which is why he felt extremely frustrated after Duke's season-opening win over Presbyterian. Despite Duke's easy 80-49 victory, Zoubek couldn't avoid the refs' whistles, fouling out in just 7 minutes.

To Zoubek, it felt like a game from his first two seasons when he averaged just 7.3 and 10.5 minutes per game, respectively.

But since that night, Zoubek has learned — for the most part — to avoid unnecessary fouls and give Duke that big-man presence it has lacked since losing Shelden Williams after the 2005-06 season.

That's not to say that Zoubek is putting up numbers close to those of Williams, but just the fact that he's occupying the middle of the paint for 14.5 minutes per game is a huge plus for No. 2 Duke (15-1).

Wednesday night at Georgia Tech, the Devils went up against the ACC's two leading rebounders in Gani Lawal (10 rebounds per game) and Alade Aminu (9.4 rpg). In Duke's 70-56 win, Zoubek clogged the middle for 19 minutes, grabbing five rebounds and blocking a shot.

Lawal grabbed 17 rebounds, but Zoubek's presence helped free teammate Kyle Singler for 14 rebounds and the Devils won the battle of the boards 41-39. While Zoubek will never win a jumping competition, he effectively boxed out Lawal twice for defensive rebounds during a key second-half stretch when Duke extended a slender advantage.

Zoubek credits his teammates for getting him ready for physical ACC battles like Wednesday night's game.

"I think the thing that really prepares me this year is that I have a lot more guys in practice to go up against — Miles (Plumlee), Olek (Czyz), Lance (Thomas), Kyle," Zoubek said before Duke's conference opener Jan. 4 against Virginia Tech. "And I think that every single practice is really physical, and so I think I'm going to be much more prepared for the ACC because of that."

The bruising practices have helped, considering the center's numbers haven't dipped against Duke's toughest competition. Zoubek is averaging career highs in points (7.1), rebounds (5.1) and blocks (1.1), and he grabbed eight rebounds in one of Duke's most impressive wins, 76-60 at then-No. 9 Purdue.

"It's been a process," Zoubek said of the season. "I started out struggling in the beginning of the year. I really hadn't had that much time to get back.

"I just (had to) keep building each game and keep adding more things onto my game, more things to what I do. It's really coming along."

As in, Zoubek is making a variety of contributions for the Devils — not including the "Where did that come from?" reverse layup he scored in transition against Duquesne after making a steal at midcourt.

On the offensive end, Zoubek is patient. When he receives the ball in the post, he surveys his options before making a move. Because of his good health, because he knows he'll play good minutes when out of foul trouble, he doesn't feel a need to try to score every time he touches the ball.

Instead, Zoubek has developed a knack for dishing short passes to cutting teammates for easy baskets. In Duke's convincing 82-64 win over then-No. 7 Xavier, Zoubek imitated a point guard in making a perfect bounce pass from the near the 3-point arc to a cutting David McClure for a basket.

"I like passing out of the post," Zoubek said. "Sometimes I think in the past I struggled with turnovers and not passing just because when you get the ball so few times, you want to make something happen with it and you feel like you have a responsibility to go up and score.

"So now that I'm getting the ball more, I'm able to dish it off and I'm completely comfortable with that."

Zoubek has also become an adept offensive rebounder, often tipping in missed shots or swatting the ball out to other Duke players. Against Georgia Tech, he made a play that likely didn't find the box score, tipping out a miss to a teammate. Singler later finished the possession with a score.

Krzyzewski and Zoubek's teammates certainly notice such plays and appreciate them. His increased playing time has allowed Singler to play more on the perimeter and avoid the beating he took as a freshman that eventually wore him down.

And without having to constantly bang against behemoths like Lawal, Singler is having an All-America season, leading the team in points (16.7), rebounds (7.5), assists (3.4) and steals (2.0).

Singler and the rest of Zoubek's teammates don't underestimate the impact their starting center has had on the team. For the first time at Duke, he's doing something everyone knew he was always capable of.

"Since Brian has come here, we've always had confidence in him," Gerald Henderson said. "I think a big thing is, his injuries have definitely set him back. He's had times, even his freshman year, where he's played really well.

"But Brian's going to do well. We have confidence in him and he's confident. … He's going to be a huge part of what we're doing right now."