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Any coach or athlete will say that communication helps motivate a team.

Like a catcher approaching the mound to restore the confidence of a struggling young pitcher.

Like a quarterback calling the shots in the huddle.

Like a coach delivering an expletive-ridden halftime tirade.

And then there is Dominic James.

"He doesn't even have to say anything to me when we're in a game to motivate me. All I have to do is look in his eyes," sophomore guard Jerel McNeal said. "I know just by looking in his eyes and him being the floor general of this team that he would never lead us astray, that he is going to give all he's got and that he wants to win as bad as I do."

As flashy and confident as James conducts himself on the court, one would expect a less understated approach to inspiring his teammates.

Then again, this is no ordinary backcourt.

"That's a unique relationship. Jerel and I compete against each other every single day; we just respect each other so much," James said. "When you look at somebody and know what they're thinking, you're on the same page with everything."

The chemistry between James, McNeal and Wesley Matthews served Marquette well in the team's first season in the Big East — and the trio's first year in Division I basketball. The Golden Eagles enter this season, though, without any remaining members of the 2003 Final Four squad and must compensate for the leadership void left by Steve Novak's graduation.

All signs point to James assuming much of that void, which likely will not be a problem. After all, his ability to motivate his teammates without words suits his leadership style.

"He's a lead-by-example type of player," Matthews said. "He's vocal to a degree, but he's definitely one of those 'I'm gonna show you how it's done' " players.

James showed the country enough last season as a freshman to find a place among the 50 preseason candidates for the 2006-'07 Wooden Award. He averaged 15.3 points and 5.4 assists per game in 2005-'06 and ran away with Big East Rookie of the Year honors.

But his coach said James' success has not given rise to complacency.

"He's so eager to learn. He's become an avid film-watcher," Tom Crean said. "Dominic will spend his lunchtime and in between class time in the film room looking at different tapes. I think that's really important. He's got that true student-of-the-game mentality."

Such a work ethic is a crucial asset to James, who, despite his NBA-ready talent, is not yet a complete player.

The biggest weakness of James' freshman season was his outside shooting, which made his game more predictable. Opposing defenses knew he would rather drive to the basket than pull up for a perimeter jumper — James shot just 30.1 percent from beyond the arc last season, an alarmingly low rate for the guard who attempted the second most three-pointers on the team — and did not play him honestly.

So he tried to do something about it.

"I've been in the gym constantly working on my jump shot," James said. "I want to open it up for my teammates. Obviously, my best asset as a player is getting to the basket and creating for everybody else. So I don't want the defender to be able to back off me and prevent me from driving to the basket. I want to make my defender respect me and my jump shot."

If James develops a consistent long-range jumper, there will be very little the 5-foot-11 guard cannot do on a basketball court. He is the team's leading returning rebounder, and he managed to block 12 shots last season. Lead by example, indeed.

During media day, though, head coach Crean and his players avoided singling out James as the new leader of the team. The team as a whole is the leader, they said, as if they had been brainwashed – "Manchurian Candidate"-style – to say the exact same thing.

But there's an exception to the "team" speak. Down the stretch in tense situations, players need someone to direct traffic and take that necessary shot.

"When it's all said and done, I would like the ball to make something happen," said James on late-game situations. "We're all going to work together when that time comes, but I hope Coach lets me have the ball when that time comes. That's what I live for."

Although James made a game-tying buzzer-beater at Louisville, he often deferred to Novak last season in late-game situations. This year, the spotlight and pressure are on James.

"The point guard has to be differentiated," Crean said. "In the last couple minutes of those games, and that thing is close, they've got to be able to spot that leader on the court."

And look into his eyes.

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