Paulus out indefinitely with a foot injury

Duke point guard Greg Paulus is out indefinitely with a foot injury, though it's not known if the Blue Devils captain will miss any games.

The sophomore injured his left foot Saturday, the second day of practice, team spokesman Jon Jackson said. Paulus apparently first injured the foot during high school, and reaggravated it over the weekend near the end of the workout.

Paulus, who was re-evaluated at the Duke University Medical Center on Monday, will not need surgery. Instead, he is expected to follow a rehabilitation plan and make a complete recovery, the school said in a news release.

"This is an unfortunate injury, but Greg is an extremely tough individual and we expect him to make a full recovery," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a statement. "Our medical staff will evaluate Greg's progress continuously and he will return to action when the foot is fully healed."

Losing Paulus for a lengthy period would be a serious blow for a young team already looking for leadership. Paulus joined Josh McRoberts as the first sophomores in program history to be selected as team captains, while fellow captain DeMarcus Nelson is the team's lone upperclassman on scholarship.

The Blue Devils open exhibition play Nov. 2 against Shaw and begin the regular season Nov. 12 against Columbia in the CBE Classic. It's unclear who would play the point if Paulus was unable to play at the start of the season.

Paulus underwent surgery to remove a bone chip in his left wrist in March, shortly after the Blue Devils lost to LSU in the NCAA tournament's round of 16. Paulus played with a brace on his wrist last season and started in all but three games for Duke, leading the Atlantic Coast Conference with 5.2 assists per game.