Every team needs a go-to guy. But the best teams have options to spare. ESPN The Magazine profiles Chris Duhon, Ryan Mendez, Andre Hutson and Sergio McClain.

He could have jumped in as a starter for nearly any school in the country. So why did Chris Duhon sign on at Duke, knowing he'd spend his first season as Jason Williams' understudy? "It gave me a while to sit back and get a feel for the college game," says Duhon, a native of Slidell, La. "Now that I feel more comfortable, it's time for me to explore my talents."

Uh-oh. That's just what Blue Devil opponents didn't want to hear. As Duke's "sixth starter," the 6'1" Duhon seemed content to play the role of passer and defensive specialist for much of his rookie year, finishing fifth in the ACC in assists (4.5 per) and seventh in steals (1.9). But his reluctance to jack up the three-ball puzzled his teammates. "The weird thing was," says Williams, "in practice and pickup games, he would just kill."

It wasn't just the Devils who were confused. Duhon's mother, Vivian, a former high school point guard who taught Chris his first moves, relocated to Durham last fall to keep tabs on her son. And when she didn't like what she saw, she fired off an e-mail telling him to shoot more. As someone who's been known to launch from everywhere, Williams is on her side: He actually thinks Duhon has the better shot. That's one reason he fed him for that game-winning, buzzer-beating running jumper at Wake Forest. After that, Duhon went on a tear, winning three straight ACC rookie of the week awards. And when Carlos Boozer went down with a broken foot and Nate James struggled, Coach K made Duhon a real starter, giving the Devils a two-headed point.

The results speak for themselves. Against N.C. State in the ACC tourney, Duhon and Williams scored 21 of Duke's first 28 points, leaving Shane Battier to assess the damage. "Jason is more power," says the Naismith Player of the Year. "He tries to bludgeon you to death. Chris is more like a surgeon who tries to slice and dice and carve you up."

Either way, it hurts like hell.

This article appears in the April 2 issue of ESPN The Magazine. E-mail John Gustafson at john.gustafson@espnmag.com.