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Catchup Up With Former Hoops Player Leigh Morgan
7/4/2009 7:15:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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DURHAM, N.C. ? GoDuke.com recently sat down with former Duke women's basketball student-athlete Leigh Morgan, who played for the Blue Devils from 1987-1990, to see what she is doing these days, get her thoughts on Duke women's basketball and to reflect on her time in Durham.
Morgan, who was a part of Duke's first NCAA Tournament squad in 1987 under Head Coach Debbie Leonard, played in 104 career games and started 79 of those contests. Her career total of 340 assists has ranked in the top 10 of Duke's all-time charts since graduating in 1990.
GoDuke.com: Give us a run down on what you are doing now.
Leigh Morgan: I live in the San Francisco-bay area, after having moved out here four years ago after living in Durham since my freshman year in college (1986). I moved back to the West Coast to be closer to my family and to live in a part of the country with a vibrant entrepreneurial spirit. Professionally, I head up the Human Resource organization at a very cool biotech company called Genentech. Two years ago we beat out Goggle and many other companies to be named "Best Place to Work" in the U.S. I love the leadership-aspects of my job the most, and influencing the direction of the business. For fun, I spend as much time outdoors as I can, I am an avid road cyclist and stay active in politics.
GD: Do you have a spouse and children?
LM: I am recently divorced and I am loving being single in the Bay Area. There is always some nutty social or cultural event going on.
GD: How often are you able to watch Duke basketball games?
LM: As much as I can! I bought a big cable package just so I could watch games during the season. Basically I'm a Cameron Crazy out here in California.
GD: Have you come across many Duke fans out in San Francisco?
LM: I do come across Duke fans occasionally, and those of us at Genentech actively seek each other out. I also watch a lot of hoops with Tar Heel grads that I meet and we feel very snobby about the quality of play in the ACC vs. Pac 10. Folks out here have no idea what ACC season means in North Carolina, and how nutty ACC fans are. Dukies set the standard, of course, in fabulous nuttiness.
GD: You do know that the team will be heading to Stanford this coming December to play the Cardinal, right?
LM: This is the first I've heard and I'm so psyched! I'll bring an entire fan section and ensure faces are painted appropriately.
GD: How much has women's basketball changed since you played?
LM: It has changed a lot. The student athletes are faster, stronger, bigger -- overall just way more athletic and the game is more complex in some of the sets and defenses teams run. I see some of the players hitting fade-away three-pointers and I am literally in awe.
GD: When is the last time you were able to come back to see a Duke game?
LM: I came back last year for the alumni reunion, and it was a blast. Coach P's energy is infectious, and many of us 'oldies' felt so very welcome. I've managed to get back every year to catch a game.
Once side-story regarding my affiliation with Duke -- my connectivity and passion for Duke grew exponentially after moving to California. I think living in Durham for so long made me take for granted the university and how easy it was to go see a game. I am a total Duke junkie again. I've even made arrangements to get a Duke biking kit (kit = biking garb) from the Duke Bike Club so that I can represent the school when I bike. Order should come in this fall, I'm pretty psyched.
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?
LM: I received a tour at the reunion and was so impressed. When I played, we spent a lot of time in Card Gym which at the time was quite a piece of work.
GD: How much has the Duke campus changed since you were in school?
LM: The campus has changed a lot since I was at Duke, especially around Cameron and the many new academic buildings. Compared to when I was in school, there is much more attention and money flowing into the athletic facilities for varsity athletes and also for students.
I was a big gym-rat when at Duke, and if we had the cool facilities that the team has today, I probably would have camped out at the gym. I especially like the hoops-only weight room and the video-screening room.
GD: Where did you live when you were at Duke?
LM: I lived in Wannamaker dorm as a freshman with Sue Harnett, and we were the only freshmen women on West Campus. Then I moved to Central Campus for two years and then to a cool apartment on Ninth Street in the renovated tobacco warehouse (I can't remember the name of the condo building).
GD: What are some of your best memories of Duke?
LM: I have so many fond memories of Duke; it is hard to know where to start. Basketball-wise one of my best memories was hitting the game-winning shot, with no time remaining, to beat North Carolina in 1989. We had the ball under our basket with three seconds left, and our play was to get the ball to Katie [Meier] or Sue [Harnett] in the paint. For some reason both were covered, and the ball came to me out past the three-point line. I drove to the foul line and hit a little jumper for the win. I'm still looking for the video of that play so if the basketball office has it - I want a copy! Another fond memories include upset wins against Virginia (and Dawn Staley), Maryland, and making the NCAA's one year. I also loved playing in Cameron, and having the Cameron Crazies show up to some of our games.
In addition to basketball-related memories, I feel very grateful for the many deep friendships I made, and the many great classes and cultural events I took advantage of while a student-athlete. I had great advisors, professors, and was constantly intellectually challenged -- which I loved.
GD: Do you keep in touch with your former teammates?
LM: I do, although not as much as I would like. That is part of the reason I enjoy the reunions so much - getting a chance to see folks again, reminisce and giggle about the fun we had together representing Duke. One neat thing about living in Cali is that I live about two miles from the California-Berkeley campus, and I've become a big Cal Berkeley fan because Joanne Boyle is the coach. Oh the stories I could tell her team about Joanne from back in the day! I'm also on Facebook, and have connected with a few former teammates on FB which has been fun.
GD: Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give our current student-athletes?
LM: I would say to take full advantage of Duke's academic resources and follow your passion in your studies. Seek out dynamic professors, who are able to make any topic interesting. I once took a physics class from a guy who reminded me of a whacked-out weird science nerd. He was so excited about the topic, though, and he got me jazzed about things I had absolutely no previous interest in.
Also I always advise student-athletes to remember that there is a big, wide, world outside of basketball. Pay attention to what happens in the Durham community and in the world. Keeping a perspective on things can help make the hard times on court feel more manageable.
GD: What kind of an impact has a Duke degree had on your life?
LM: Graduating from Duke has had a tremendous and positive impact on my life. A Duke degree opens up doors - both in terms of the learning's I took from school but also just the 'brand' of Duke which is recognized and respected across the globe. Playing basketball at Duke helped teach me discipline, how to get along with people from diverse backgrounds, and how to endure when things don't go so well. I also left Duke with a clear sense about my values and a strong connectivity to the community. And of course, basketball remains a big part of my life.
GD: Do you remember a specific class and/or professor that you really enjoyed while at Duke?
LM: In addition to the nutty physics professor, Dr. Carol Meyers was my Religion major advisor. Carol was a big basketball fan, and few athletes took Religion classes so when I started taking classes in the department she eagerly said yes when I asked if she would be my advisor. She helped broker my summer school in Jerusalem, and academically did some ground-breaking work on the role of women in biblical times. I also had a dynamic Art History professor, whose name escapes me. I took two of her classes, having no previous art history background, and I have been captivated by art and art history ever since.
GD: What was it like to be a part of the first women's basketball team at Duke to play in the NCAA Tournament?
LM: It was an exciting time for all of us and a real first for the program. We played Rutgers at Rutgers and I remember Chris Moreland kicking butt in the paint -- even though we lost.
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