IN THE PAINT

Chris Bell discovered his shooting ability in the front yard of his childhood home in Concord, California. He would sit outside for hours, taking shot after shot, crafting his shot on his own until he started working with basketball trainer William Lee.

Over his freshman season at Syracuse, he's become a better rebounder and defender throughout the season. Starting all 26 games, Bell averages 6.8 points and 20.1 minutes per game entering Saturday's contest with Duke.

Jon Scheyer, 35, is the youngest head coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference and is in his first year in charge of Duke. He is 43 years younger than Jim Boeheim, who Scheyer will coach against for the first time on Saturday in the JMA Wireless Dome.

But everyone still knows Scheyer's name, just as they did when he starred at Duke from 2006-10 and just as his hometown did when he won the state championship. Those close to Scheyer say he's always had the makings of a coach, with his competitive yet calm nature driving him to success

Dereck Lively wasn't always the athletic force that he is now. The 7-foot-1 center came a long way from his days as an uncoordinated, lanky, 6-foot-5 eighth grader who couldn't dunk, said James Johns, former Team Final 17U Coach.

Lively sat on the end of the bench to start his AAU career. Five years later, he was the No. 1 player in the country, per ESPN and a Duke signee, his clutch 3-pointer signifying his growth. The center averages 4.6 points and 4.9 rebounds for the Blue Devils.