In Detroit they create and develop cars. In Idaho they grow and cultivate potatoes. Between rural Indiana and Duke University, the product is Plumlees.
Duke junior Mason Plumlee will return for his senior season in 2012-13, head coach Mike Krzyzewski announced Tuesday.
Last season, Plumlee averaged 11.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game en route to earning third team All-ACC accolades. He was one of four players in the ACC to average at least 10.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game.
Plumlee finished tied for third in the ACC in rebounding and also ranked third in double-doubles (12) and double-figure rebounding games (16).
Plumlee also ranked second on the team in field goal percentage (.572, 143-of-250), while registering a Duke single-season record 60 dunks. The Warsaw, Ind., native led the team in rebounding 21 times last season and 45 times during his career. Duke is 88-17 (.838) over the last three seasons with Plumlee in the lineup.
With the return of Plumlee, the Blue Devils are expected to have nine letterwinners and four starters back from last yearโs team that went 27-7 overall and 13-3 in the ACC. Duke will also have redshirt freshmen Alex Murphy and Marshall Plumlee as well as incoming freshman Rasheed Sulaimon in the fold for the 2012-13 season. Plumlee will pair with fellow rising senior Ryan Kelly to give Duke an experienced frontcourt tandem that combined to average 22.9 points, 14.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game a season ago.
Plumlee currently ranks 20th in the Duke record books in career rebounds (726), 13th in offensive rebounds (229), fifth in blocks (147) and fourth in dunks (130). He is 231 points shy of becoming the 61st player in Duke history to score 1,000 career points and 275 rebounds shy of becoming just the eighth Blue Devil to grab 1,000 rebounds.
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. Heโs also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, MSN and Fox Sports
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