Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus UCLA on March 29, 2026 , Loss , 58, to, 70
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Final
Women's Basketball
58
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70
Catching Up With Former Hoops Player Heather McKaig
7/26/2009 6:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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DURHAM, N.C. — GoDuke.com recently sat down with former Duke women's basketball student-athlete Heather McKaig, who played for the Blue Devils from 1991-93, to see what she is doing these days, get her thoughts on Duke women's basketball and to reflect on her time in Durham.
McKaig was a walk-on for the Blue Devils who graduated in only three years. She played in 26 career games at Duke.
GoDuke.com: Give us a run down on what you are doing now.
Heather McKaig: I'm living in Charlotte, N.C. and working as an attorney in McKaig & McCutcheon, P.A. with my father, Stuart McKaig, a Duke Basketball alum from class of '67.
GD: What type of attorney are you in Charlotte?
HM: We are a general practice firm and most of our clients are small businesses. I'm lucky to be able to do variety of things, but I spend most of my time doing civil litigation.
GD: Do you have a spouse and children?
HM: I am married to a wonderful man, Vangelis Sofianos, whom I met while on vacation in Greece in 2005. Van and I have two kids -- daughter Mary will be two in September and son George was born in April this year.
GD: How often are you able to watch Duke basketball games?
HM: Are you kidding?! With a toddler, I'm not able to sit and watch much of anything except “Dora the Explorer!” I watch what I can and keep up with the team by reading about them online and from Lauren's (Rice) emails.
GD: How much has women's basketball changed since you played?
HM: The women appear to be stronger and better athletes than when I played.
GD: When is the last time you were able to come back to see a Duke game?
HM: I come back to Durham a couple times a year and have seen some men's games.
GD: Have you had a chance to come back and see the new practice facility? If so how nice would it have been to have that when you were playing at Duke?
HM: It's a beautiful facility! A huge space and pristine weight room, it looks great. It would have been neat to practice there. But I have to admit, I loved practicing in Cameron everyday, I wouldn't trade that for anything!
GD: How much has the Duke campus changed since you were in school?
HM: New buildings have popped up, but it still has the same charm.
GD: Where did you live when you were at Duke?
HM: All over the place! As a freshman, I lived in Trent on North campus, my second year in a Central campus apartment, and my last year in the dorms on West campus.
GD: What are some of your best memories of Duke?
HM: In addition to our games and the stellar men's games in my years, I enjoyed supporting friends and fellow student-athletes in other sporting events, including soccer games, lacrosse games, tennis matches, track meets, swim meets and baseball games in the best venues and against the best competition in the country.
GD: Do you keep in touch with your former teammates?
HM: I haven't, but would love to catch up with all of them!
GD: Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give our current student-athletes?
HM: Take advantage of the full Duke experience; don't limit yourself academically or socially. Open yourself up to new things, new people and new adventures.
GD: What kind of an impact has a Duke degree had on your life?
HM: Graduating from Duke in three years certainly opened doors for me. After law school, the degree and sports background helped me land a job as an Assistant DA in Charlotte. I worked with several other female college athletes in the six years I spent prosecuting the “bad guys” before joining up with Dad. Must be something about our competitive spirit that translates into success in the courtroom!
GD: Do you remember a specific class and/or professor that you really enjoyed while at Duke?
HM: The summer study abroad program in Spain led by Professor Garci-Gomez was outstanding.
Professor Lomperis and Professor Feaver were two of my favorites in the Political Science department. Oceanography was fun, too, especially the weekend of study down east in Beaufort.
GD: Last year you and your father were able to play in the True Blue Golf Classic for women's basketball. How much fun did ya'll have and do you plan on playing again?
HM: It was a great tournament! Very good turnout for the first year. Weather was little chilly, but it was a wonderful day on a beautiful course. We had a fun foursome. It was great to see Coach Leonard out there and to meet Coach McCallie and the women from the basketball and golf teams who came out. We definitely plan to come back again this year. I played while pregnant last year, so I hope to be in better shape this October!
GD: How were you able to graduate from Duke in only three years?
HM: During my second year, we realized that graduating early was possible. I had some financial motivation because I was a walk-on and knew that law school was also in my future. I came in with some high school AP credits and took classes through Duke's study abroad program in Spain during the summer after my second year. I took a full class schedule each semester and was able to make it work. Having the demands of basketball while at Duke forced me to become a more efficient student.
GD: What was your major?
HM: Political Science.
GD: Do any certain games stick out in your head from your playing days?
HM: As a lifelong Duke fan, our two wins against UNC my first year stick out, of course. Some of the other games that stick out for me might be ones that the rest of my team may want to forget, but those are ones where I actually got in the game! There were a few games against Virginia that we lost by nearly 30 points, but Coach Leonard put me in for some good minutes at the end of those games. There was also a Maryland game in Cameron that stands out. During the first half we were getting significantly out-rebounded. Coach Leonard was exasperated and shocked me by sending me in the game for a couple minutes at the five position. Needless to say, I was out of place at only 5'9”, but I pushed and shoved in the post as best I could and even managed to snag one rebound from the big girls!
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