Duke’s Vanessa de Jesus Sounds Like She’s Ready For FIBA

Duke point guard Vanessa de Jesus was recently named to the women’s national team in the Philippines and the coach, Pat Aquino, said that getting a D-1 point guard was a “big deal” for the national program.

But she seems equally excited, saying this: “I’m excited for the opportunity to suit up for the Philippine national team. Two of the most important things in my life are family and basketball. And since I was young, I understood this growing up. My family has been a huge part of who I am.”

She also points to her Duke coach, Kara Lawson, as an inspiration after her role helping the US 3 on 3 team win gold, telling her interlocutor that “Just seeing all that [Lawson has] done so far, at every level, she’s a winner and got so many crazy experiences. And seeing how far she’s come in and how she’s grown as a coach and as a leader, that’s something I hope to gain from this experience as well.”

She’s right about that. It’s a great opportunity for her to expand her game and if she has an interest in coaching later herself, it will be really helpful.

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