Future Duke player Abby Waner dominated the competition and helped lead
her West team to a 5-0 record and the event's Gold medal. In the first
game, she scored 13 points on 5-12 shooting (3-5 from three) along with 3
rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 4 turnovers and a block. In the second
game, she had 17 points on 7-17 shooting (3-7 from three), 5 rebounds, 3
assists, 4 steals and 1 turnover. In game three, she had 18 points on
7-10 shooting (3-5 from three), 6 assists, 4 steals and 2 turnover. In
the semifinals, she notched 14 points on 4-8 shooting (1-3 from three), 6
rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 turnover. In the finals, she blasted
her opponents with 27 points on 8-11 shooting (5-8 from three!), 4
rebounds, 7 assists, 6 steals and 3 turnovers. Waner did have the luxury
of playing with two of the nation's best players in bruising center
Courtney Paris and top-notch point guard Erika Arriaran, but it's quite
clear that Abby has vaulted herself into a national top-five ranking.
While she did have a slight advantage in the event being in her backyard,
thus negating the altitude factor, the fact remains that she got better as
the tournament went on and as her opponents got used to the altitude.
Furthermore, she shot the lights out using a heavier and bigger
international ball and shooting from the international three point range.
Waner led all players with a 17.8 ppg average and was fourth in overall
FG% at 53.4%. At the same time, she was third in assists at 4.6 per game
on a squad that liked to share the ball and fast break, and was fourth in
assist/turnover ratio with a solid 2.1:1. Abby shot 75% from the foul
line and led the tournament at steals with an eye-popping 3.8 per
game--way ahead of the competition. Finally, Abby led the tournament in
threes made per game and was second in three point percentage with a
staggering 54%.
Duke's three other commitments from this class also competed in the
Developmental Festival, and each had their moments. Brittany Mitch played
on an East squad that had a lot of talent, but finished a disappointing
4th. That was no fault of Mitch and the team's guards, who played well
the entire time. Mitch didn't shoot that well, but did a lot of the
little things--especially on defense. In the first game, she had 5 points
on 2-7 shooting, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 4 turnovers in a loss
against the West team. In game two, she had 11 points on 4-10 shooting
(1-3 from three), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 turnover in a
close loss. In the third game, Mitch scored 9 points on 2-8 shooting (1-1
from three) and had 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks and 3 steals. Being a
6-2 off guard has its plusses. In the semis, Brittany had 5 points on 1-8
shooting (1-3 from three), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 5
turnovers in a loss. Lastly, in the Bronze medal game, Mitch had 8 points
on 3-8 shooting (2-3 from three), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 2
turnovers. Overall, Mitch was #22 in scoring, #12 in assists, #7 in
steals, #3 in 3 point percentage (50%), #8 in blocks and #12 in
assist/turnover ratio.
The East team's post players struggled against their opponents. One
player who made the most of her 13 minutes per game was future Duke player
Carrem Gay, who was an active presence down low despite often going up
against bigger opponents. In her first game, she had 4 points (2-2
shooting), 3 rebounds and 4 turnovers in 14 minutes of play. In game two,
she had 1 point (0-2) but had 5 rebounds in 12 minutes. She had a big
game three, with 14 points (6-10 shooting) and 6 rebounds in 18 minutes.
The semis saw her put up 10 points (5-9 shooting), 5 rebounds and an
assist in 12 minutes. Carreym had 4 points (2-7 shooting) and 2 rebounds
in the Bronze game in just 11 minutes. She was #30 in scoring, #6 in FG%
and #15 in offensive rebounds for the tournament.
Lastly, future Duke forward Keturah Jackson struggled for the South
team, which won the Bronze medal despite having less overall scoring punch
than any of their opponents. Keturah didn't score in game one (0-3 from
the field), but had 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 turnovers and a block. In
game two, she had 4 points (2-5 shooting), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals
and 1 turnover. In the third game, Jackson had 3 points (0-5 from the
floor), 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 turnover. In the semis,
Jackson scored 6 points (2-10 from the floor), but set a Festival record
with 11 assists, along with 4 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 turnover. In the
Bronze game, the pattern was similar in that she did well in the hustle
department but not in the scoring column: 4 points (2-9 shooting), 4
rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 3 turnovers. She wound up finishing 5th in
assists (4 per game), 3rd in steals (2.4), and 7th in assist/turnover
ratio (1.8:1).
Check out all of the results on the Festival's schedule page. Make sure to check out the front page for
a nice photo of Abby Waner. Waner and Mitch were also selected to compete
for a spot on the Women's Junior National team, along with future Duke
teammate Laura Kurz. That will take place over the next three days as 32
players vie for 12 spots. Finalists will then go to Denver in late July
for a week, where the final 12 players are announced. After some more
training, the team will go to Puerto Rico for the qualifying tournament.
If they qualify for the Junior Worlds, they'll go to Tunisia next July.
Good luck to all!