Shadow Center: Duke's Zoubek says he's happy to let Scheyer, Singler, Smith share the spotlight

Brian Zoubek is proof that a college basketball player doesn't have to be a star to help his team.

And that patience, perseverance and determination are as valuable as a dependable jump shot.

Zoubek, a 7-1 senior center, has finally found his ideal role at Duke, after three sometimes frustrating seasons of searching. He helped Duke win the ACC Tournament and a share of the ACC regular-season title, and starting Friday, he will lend his effort to Duke's bid for an NCAA Tournament run.

"I feel absolutely comfortable out there," Zoubek said. "I feel like I'm playing well off the other guys. I feel like we have great chemistry out there.

"And I feel like I can play for a much longer period of time. I played a lot of minutes against Georgia Tech (in the ACC final), at least a lot more than I have in the past. It just feels more comfortable every game."

Zoubek didn't move back into the starting lineup for good until Feb. 13, in a home game against Maryland. He grabbed 17 rebounds in a victory over the Terrapins and two games later grabbed 16 more.

He has become Duke's unsung starter. Perimeter players Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith continue to receive most of the attention for Duke's successes, deservedly so.

Zoubek said he doesn't mind being in the shadows, as long as Duke's season continues.

"It doesn't bother me at all," he said. "I wouldn't mind having the role of scoring a lot of points, but I feel perfectly comfortable in mine. This is the way I can help my team win the best. Ultimately, that's the most important thing for me.

"Would I rather have 20 points and lose tonight? Or would I rather have two points and some rebounds and an ACC championship? It's an easy trade-off for me."

Zoubek had one of his finest all-around efforts in Sunday's title-game win over Georgia Tech. He played 28 minutes, had a blocked shot, two steals and nine rebounds and stayed around the basket on defense to limit easy shots.

Scheye made the 3-pointer from the right wing with 18 seconds left that gave Duke a 63-59 lead and stopped Georgia Tech's hard charge. Zoubek set the screen that freed Scheyer for the shot.

"I screen for him in practice and in games so much that it's something that we have a comfortable feeling about," Zoubek said. "I know exactly what he's going to do, and if the defender moves a certain way I know what to do to get him open.

"It's chemistry. We've been playing together so long, and I've set so many screens for him, and it all culminated in that one."

Three minutes earlier, Zoubek caught a pass and was wide open for a dunk, but instead faked and drew a foul on Brian Oliver, his fifth. Zoubek said with a smile that his decision was based entirely on strategy.

"He's their best 3-point shooter," Zoubek said. "I knew we could get him out of the game. It was quick thinking."

He then sheepishly admitted that maybe, as a 7-footer, he should have made a different decision.

"I don't know why I didn't dunk it," Zoubek said, smiling again. "I probably should have."

Zoubek got the points anyway, making both free throws for a 60-50 lead and enough of a margin for Duke to withstand Tech's 9-0 run in the next two minutes. Lance Thomas, another senior, said that if Zoubek was trying to get Oliver out of the game, that was good enough for him.

"It was a smart play," Thomas said. "Zoobs is an intelligent guy. He probably really, genuinely looked at Oliver knowing that he had four fouls and did that. I really do believe that.

"He and Kyle (Singler) are probably the only two guys who can make that play with the game situation that was on then. I would have gone up and dunked it, but that's just me. I would have had no clue how many fouls that guy had."

Zoubek can still be foul-prone but not as much as in the past. If Duke advances in the NCAA Tournament, the competition is likely to become stiffer, and Zoubek will become more important with each game.

"He's a monster. He brings it," Thomas said. "I don't think I've ever seen a player that tall play with so much energy. Zoobs is just as energetic as I am out there, and that's a lot.

"I love playing this game, and I have no problem showing emotion and enthusiasm for it. He's doing it just as good or to a higher level. I'm glad he's found a comfort zone and something he can base his performance on."

bcole@wsjournal.com