updated 4:04 p.m. ET Sept. 4, 2006

DURHAM, N.C. - They were back at practice, enthusiastically going through lacrosse drills on an overcast Monday morning. It was as if everything was normal again.

But so much has happened in the last five months at Duke. And now, just the mere presence of the players on the field suggested this was anything but routine.

The last time the Duke men’s lacrosse team practiced together, the players were determined to get back to the NCAA title game and win a championship that eluded them the previous season. Instead, everything was about to come apart by a rape scandal that led to charges against three teammates, the resignation of the longtime coach and the shutdown of a program poised to take its place among the best in the nation.

On Monday, the Blue Devils returned to the practice field for the first time in more than five months. It was further proof that they are finally getting their lives back.

And on this day, even a bad pass looked pretty good.

“I can say personally I definitely appreciate it more,” said Matt Danowski, the Blue Devils’ All-American attackman and the son of new coach John Danowski. “I took it for granted. We took going to the national championship game for granted. All the cool stuff we get to wear every day for free, I took all that for granted. And playing games on Saturdays in front of fans, I took that for granted.

“I didn’t realize how much I missed it until it was gone. I’m glad to be here, and I don’t think my work ethic could be any harder than it will be for this year.”

The workout marked the start of a five-week fall training camp under John Danowski, who left Hofstra after 21 years to lead Duke’s revival. It marked the first time the team had practiced on campus since March 27, the day before the university suspended the team from play in the wake of the rape allegations.

“It felt great,” senior defenseman Tony McDevitt said. “There’s not too many times that you can really appreciate a great sweat. And today, I think everybody appreciated that.”

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The headline-grabbing case touched off a nationwide debate about sports, race and class. But for all the commotion, the players appeared so at ease Monday the workout seemed almost routine. The only sign it wasn’t was the dozen or so reporters watching from the sideline, a rare sight for a nonrevenue program that competes in the shadow of Mike Krzyzewski’s storied men’s basketball team.

Not that the players seemed to mind the extra attention.

“Thanks for coming out,” senior defenseman Casey Carroll said casually as he walked off the field.

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