Krzyzewski on Paulus: 'He became our leader today'
Greg Paulus claps as Duke and Miami head into a timeout in Durham.
Feb 7, 2009
With Duke reeling from the Devils’ worst loss in two decades, a 74-47 drubbing at the hands of Clemson, Mike Krzyzewski turns to a veteran to help right the Blue Devils ship.
In only his second start of the season, Greg Paulus may have reclaimed the starting spot at point guard, a spot he held for much of his three previous seasons at Duke.
Paulus scored 18 points and only committed one turnover in forty minutes of play as Duke erased a 16-point second-half deficit to beat Miami in overtime 78-75.
“He became our leader today,” said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. “You can’t be designated the leader, you have to earn being the leader. Greg did that today.”
An emotional Krzyzewski praised Paulus for his play “under fire,” saying leaders are found during moments of crisis.
Considering Duke’s play in the first half – the Devils hit only 6 of 31 shots in the early going – and their demoralizing loss at Clemson, the Blue Devils were certainly “under fire.”
Enter Paulus, an unlikely hero after losing his starting job to Nolan Smith in the preseason.
“I’ve been around for a while and I’ve been in all types of games,” said Paulus. “I love to talk and organize and put people in positions where they can be successful.”
Paulus is no stranger to a leadership role, not after starting 95 of his first 103 games at Duke, and he is certainly not shying away from his return to responsibility.
“If that’s how I can help the team, that’s something I want to do,” he said.
