Let's catch up on some goings-on in the world of Duke women's hoops. First,
let's look at some of the players currently on the team. Jess Foley was just
named to the All-Academic
team. Carrem Gay had off-season shoulder surgery and should be completely
healthy for the start of next season. Here's an account of the banquet
from this year, and
a photo gallery
from same.
The schedule for next season is being ironed out and is just about done. Some
highlights include Tennessee, Michigan and Rutgers on the road and Texas,
Vanderbilt, Penn State and Old Dominion at home. The Lady Vols are a certain
top-10 team, while Rutgers, Vandy and Texas are top 25 (and possible top 10)
clubs.
Looking to the world of recruiting, there's plenty out there about Duke's most
recent commitment, Krystal Thomas. After the death of her mother, Krystal's
family is thriving. Interestingly, former Kentucky star Jack
"Goose"
Givens has been assisting them; it's the first thing he's done since his return
to public life after he beat a sex-related charge. Here's more on Krystal, with
an interview,
her endurance
as a person,
and more on Givens' involvement. Lastly, check out this video footage
of Krystal's
Orlando Comets AAU squad beating a loaded Boo Williams team.
Turning to potential recruits, here are a few articles on the Boo Williams
tournament. The underclass
team included Duke targets Jasmine Thomas, Nneka Ogwumike, Elena Delle Donne,
Carolyn Doty and Chay Shegog, along with Krystal Thomas. Here are a couple of
more articles on the event: Boo I, and
Boo
II.
Duke's newest players, Joy Cheek and Bridgette Mitchell are both on campus now
for the second session of summer school. Joy will wear #21 at Duke (last worn
by Krista Gingrich) and Bridgette will wear #15 (last worn by Kalita Marsh).
Joy was selected to the Orlando Sentinel All-South team and named player of the
year for North Carolina. Here's an article on her from Charlotte. Both players were named to the Parade
All-American team;
Bridgette to the 2nd team, and Joy to the 3rd team.
Turning to the WNBA, it's nice to see Duke with an all-time high of four
players in the league at once. Alana Beard has become a superstar, staying
healthy for most of the season and leading her Washington Mystics to playoff
position after 20 games. Alana also started in the All-Star game, scoring 6
points. Monique Currie is getting plenty of playing time in Charlotte, but has
scored to struggle on a team that isn't very well put-together. Here's a
Q&A
with Mo and a chat
with her.
Mistie Williams has had some trouble cracking Van Chancellor's veteran-dominated
line-up, but has had some solid games replacing an injured Tina Thompson.
Here's an article about her in training camp and living a dream.
Lastly, it's official: Laura Kurz is leaving Duke and transferring to
Villanova. It was pretty much a numbers game for her; there were simply too
many players at her position. Coach G tried to get her playing time at power
forward, but she wasn't strong enough to be effective. Villanova will be a
perfect fit for her in terms of size and skills. Good luck to her in the
future.