Alana Beard just picked up the newly-reinstated WBCA Player of the Month award for December. Though she had a
nice month, it wasn't even close to the most impressive she's had in her
career.
Coach G had a number of interesting comments in her weekly teleconference. She spoke extensively about outstanding
frosh Brittany Hunter, noting "As good as she is now, she has not even
scratched the surface of what she will become, so it's really exciting for
us." This is definitely true. Coach G also said that missing a number of
games early in the year set her back a bit in terms of her learning the
offense, but she's starting to really come on now. Hunter will continue
to come off the bench as someone who's there to make an impact. Gail also
commented on another aspect of Hunter: how incredibly personable she is.
She's simply a person other people like being around, and this will prove
to be an important part of Duke's future. Iciss Tillis was another topic
of discussion, and Gail said that she's struggling a bit but will continue
to work it out. Lastly, the upcoming Virginia game was mentioned, with
the possibility that star Brandi Teamer might once again sit out the game.
That scenario was the same as last year, and Coach G admitted that her
team took them lightly--and nearly paid the price.