Dear Abby, Keep It Coming!

After a low-key summer, Waner hitting her stride with determined attitude

DURHAM, N.C. - It was just like high school.

Emily Waner was dribbling on the right wing beyond the three-point arc, while younger sister Abby was standing across the court on the left baseline with arms raised calling for the ball. Emily whizzed a spot-on pass and waited for the crowd's roar. Instead she heard gasps from the Cameron Indoor Stadium crowd, then laughter.

Turns out that Abby Waner was standing in front of her seat on the bench with her arms up anticipating that Emily was going to bury a three-pointer. But, no harm, no worries. There wasn't much time left in the Blue Devils rout of Penn State. Coach Gail Goestenkors marched down to the end of the bench in mock anger and ordered Abby to sit down.

“We were all laughing so hard that she couldn't keep a straight face,” said Abby. “Emily sees the floor really well and just thought I was open. We've always had sort of a sixth sense about where each other is on the court and she found me.”

The younger Waner wasn't laughing when her freshman season came to a disappointing end in the national championship game in Boston last spring. The Blue Devils' overtime loss to Maryland hit the rookie hard.

“I was devastated,” said Waner, who helped her ThunderRidge High School team win three straight Colorado 5A state titles. “I came to Duke because all the pieces were in place to win and I wanted to help them win their first national championship. I didn't have my best game (1-of-6 from the floor) and it was very hard to take. I beat myself up over it all summer and still haven't watched the second half on tape. I'm not sure that I will.”

While coming to terms with the defeat at her Highlands Ranch, Colo., home, Waner also took some time off from basketball. Summertime had always been AAU hoops time and more recently, USA Basketball time, with the U19 World Championships during the summer of '05 and the Junior World Championships the summer before that.

“I had a really low key summer,” said Waner. “I didn't do anything basketball related for a month after the season ended. I did ride the stationary bike, run on the treadmill and did some elliptical workouts to get into better shape. My knee was sore at the end of the season, so I took that time to let it heal.”

The pain of coming tantalizingly close to a national title healed during that time as well. Waner returned to Duke this fall with a fresh perspective and a determined attitude after several chats with her coach.

“Coach G made me see a lot of positives to what we accomplished last year instead of the one big negative of losing,” said Waner. “Playing in the national championship game was an incredible experience. We accomplished a lot and I had the chance to share it with my sister. I finally let it go and was ready to move on when I got back to campus.”

Deciding to come to the Duke campus in the first place took some time. Emily averaged 7.1 points in 30 games for Colorado her freshman year, but wasn't happy. Abby knew she didn't want to go to Boulder, but she wanted to play with Emily. So the sisters went school shopping. However, both insisted that the interested school take one without the other ? no package deal.

It came down to UConn, Stanford, Notre Dame and Duke. Emily transferred and sat out the 2005 season under NCAA rules while Abby was finishing her senior year of high school, during which she scored a state record 61 points in her final regular season game and tacked on a third straight state title. Last season was the first of three they will share at Duke.

When the Waners returned to Durham this fall, Monique Currie, Mistie Williams and Jessica Foley had graduated and moved on. The younger Waner returned as a first or second offensive option every time down the floor, a role she did not play last season. However, with 2,670 points in high school, she was no stranger to putting the ball in the basket.

“We need her to score,” said senior point guard Lindsey Harding. “We tell her that it's okay when she misses or maybe forces something. She has to look for her shot all the time for us to win.”

Waner's shooting and scoring stats are similar to the ones she posted to start last year. But as a sophomore she's grabbed more rebounds and has a better assist to turnover ratio.

“I've gone back to the way I played in high school,” she said. “I took the ball to the basket a lot and got a few rebounds. Last year I looked for the three and didn't have to rebound because we had Mo, Mistie and Ali. I'm back into the attack mindset and I think that's really helped my overall game.”

Waner is the only Blue Devil to score in double figures in the first seven games of the season and leads the team with a 15.1 average. She also has a team-high 27 steals and grabbed almost five rebounds per game. All the numbers are better than those of her freshman year.

“She's been through the battles and knows what to expect,” said Goestenkors. “Her defense is better as well. She was too aggressive at times last year, always trying for the steal. When she didn't get it, she took herself out of the play, which made it a five-on-four advantage for the other team. Now she knows when to go for it and when to lay back, which makes us a better defensive team.”

Duke has been a dominant defensive team in the early going (see accompanying story) with everyone getting a chance to contribute. However, a string of nationally ranked opponents and a rigorous ACC slate lies ahead.

“I don't think we've proven anything yet,” said Waner. “We'll see what we are made of as the competition gets tougher.”

Players Mentioned

Monique Currie

Jessica Foley

Lindsey Harding

Abby Waner

Emily Waner

Mistie Williams

Duke information