Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus UCLA on March 29, 2026 , Loss , 58, to, 70
/
Final
Women's Basketball
58
vs UCLA
70
Barnes: Junior Achievers
1/8/2011 9:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
By Steve Barnes
DURHAM, N.C.-- The Decision turned out to be a no-brainer.
Unlike a certain NBA superstar who went on national television to announce he was leaving for a new team, Duke teammates Kathleen Scheer and Shay Selby chose a much lower key path. They decided to say nothing and just show up ready to go for their junior seasons.
The buzz began as last season started, almost before the ink dried on the letters-of-intent for the most hyped freshman class in program history. Fans, media members and self-proclaimed experts did the math and immediately concluded that five newbies plus nine returning players equaled not enough playing time for all.
One member of the rising junior class, Chelsea Hopkins, did decide to leave (for San Diego State) as did rising sophomore Alexis Rogers (Bowling Green). As Janee Johnson continues to recover from knee surgery, Scheer and Selby are among the 11 healthy Blue Devils on the 2010-11 women's basketball roster — and the numbers show that staying has paid off.
“I've never quit anything in my life, so I didn't think too much about it (leaving),” said Scheer, who caught the coaches' attention in preseason practice by flying all over the floor to grab loose balls and rebounds while regaining her touch on the high arching three-pointers that swished in from both wings and baselines.
“I heard it a lot from people outside my family back home (New Haven, Mo.), but I just told them I wasn't mature enough to play a lot my first two years,” said Scheer, who spent the summer recovering from right shoulder surgery in April.
“I focused on regaining strength in my shoulder and getting into overall better shape all summer,” said Scheer. “I was excited from the first day of workouts and actually look forward to going to practice every day. I appreciate things more and realize I can contribute through hustle plays and rebounding. It wasn't always that way my first two years. Coming into the season, it was more about improving my game to earn more playing time than it was about thinking about leaving or playing less because of the freshmen.”
The coaches also junked a two-year experiment of having the 6-foot-2 Scheer play on the wing to cause matchup problems for the opponent and moved her inside to the more familiar power forward position that she played during her prep career.
“I wanted to see the Kathleen Scheer that I saw while I was recruiting her in high school,” said coach Joanne McCallie. “It's easier for her to guard post players than guards and it also moves her closer to the basket to get rebounds and tips. She has reintroduced herself to her teammates and our fans. The move has worked out great for her and our team.”
Scheer joined the starting lineup for the first exhibition game against Wingate and responded with 19 points. She followed up with 14 against Carson-Newman and started the first 13 games of the season, after not starting any of her first 51 games as a Blue Devil. She's already played more minutes this season than in either of the first two and has developed into a solid rebounder and a threat from beyond the three-point line.
Selby took a similar low-key approach to the challenges she faced at the start of the season.
“Honestly, I thought more about leaving after my freshman year than I did after last year,” she said. “I played a lot more last year and contributed more to the team, so I knew I was coming back. It's not like we all sat down and talked about what we were going to do. All of us made the decision that was best for the individual and it's worked out fine.”
Selby gave Duke a verbal commitment after her freshman year at Regina HS in Cleveland, Ohio. She stayed firm through the coaching change, then chipped some cartilage in her left knee during an AAU game the summer after her senior year. It bothered her throughout her freshman year at Duke and she had it repaired before last season.
“The big thing for me is to finally be healthy,” said Selby. “I don't think about my knee anymore, so I'm focused on doing the little things that help us win.”
Selby learned early last season that good defense leads to more playing time. Coaches especially love watching players take charges, so Selby sacrificed her body a team-leading 10 times.
“I'll do whatever it takes to play,” she said. “Charges are just part of the deal. It's pretty cool when the crowd gets going and my teammates get fired up. I feel like sort of a veteran on the court and it's my job to show the younger ones how it's done.”
Selby sat out the first two games with a groin injury, then earned her first three career starts with a breakout game at Pitt in front of over 60 family and friends. Selby shot 6-of-9 from the floor and made all three of her three-point shots for a career high 15 points in a career high 23 minutes. She also added four steals and three rebounds.
“I was ready to step in up in front of my family,” said Selby. “I looked for my shot more. It was a great night and it would be nice to have some more like it.”
A couple of weeks later, opportunity knocked again as the Blue Devils trailed by four late in the game against Texas A&M in a battle of top 10 titans at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Selby drained a three-pointer from the wing that started Duke on a run that culminated in a three-point victory.
“That was a huge shot for us,” said McCallie. “Shay has improved in all areas this season. She's a savvy defender who is also a scoring threat. She and Kathleen have worked very hard in the weight room, during preseason, and in practices and games. They have been a huge part of our team's success this season.”
DURHAM, N.C.-- The Decision turned out to be a no-brainer.
Unlike a certain NBA superstar who went on national television to announce he was leaving for a new team, Duke teammates Kathleen Scheer and Shay Selby chose a much lower key path. They decided to say nothing and just show up ready to go for their junior seasons.
The buzz began as last season started, almost before the ink dried on the letters-of-intent for the most hyped freshman class in program history. Fans, media members and self-proclaimed experts did the math and immediately concluded that five newbies plus nine returning players equaled not enough playing time for all.
One member of the rising junior class, Chelsea Hopkins, did decide to leave (for San Diego State) as did rising sophomore Alexis Rogers (Bowling Green). As Janee Johnson continues to recover from knee surgery, Scheer and Selby are among the 11 healthy Blue Devils on the 2010-11 women's basketball roster — and the numbers show that staying has paid off.
“I've never quit anything in my life, so I didn't think too much about it (leaving),” said Scheer, who caught the coaches' attention in preseason practice by flying all over the floor to grab loose balls and rebounds while regaining her touch on the high arching three-pointers that swished in from both wings and baselines.
“I heard it a lot from people outside my family back home (New Haven, Mo.), but I just told them I wasn't mature enough to play a lot my first two years,” said Scheer, who spent the summer recovering from right shoulder surgery in April.
“I focused on regaining strength in my shoulder and getting into overall better shape all summer,” said Scheer. “I was excited from the first day of workouts and actually look forward to going to practice every day. I appreciate things more and realize I can contribute through hustle plays and rebounding. It wasn't always that way my first two years. Coming into the season, it was more about improving my game to earn more playing time than it was about thinking about leaving or playing less because of the freshmen.”
The coaches also junked a two-year experiment of having the 6-foot-2 Scheer play on the wing to cause matchup problems for the opponent and moved her inside to the more familiar power forward position that she played during her prep career.
“I wanted to see the Kathleen Scheer that I saw while I was recruiting her in high school,” said coach Joanne McCallie. “It's easier for her to guard post players than guards and it also moves her closer to the basket to get rebounds and tips. She has reintroduced herself to her teammates and our fans. The move has worked out great for her and our team.”
Scheer joined the starting lineup for the first exhibition game against Wingate and responded with 19 points. She followed up with 14 against Carson-Newman and started the first 13 games of the season, after not starting any of her first 51 games as a Blue Devil. She's already played more minutes this season than in either of the first two and has developed into a solid rebounder and a threat from beyond the three-point line.
Selby took a similar low-key approach to the challenges she faced at the start of the season.
“Honestly, I thought more about leaving after my freshman year than I did after last year,” she said. “I played a lot more last year and contributed more to the team, so I knew I was coming back. It's not like we all sat down and talked about what we were going to do. All of us made the decision that was best for the individual and it's worked out fine.”
Selby gave Duke a verbal commitment after her freshman year at Regina HS in Cleveland, Ohio. She stayed firm through the coaching change, then chipped some cartilage in her left knee during an AAU game the summer after her senior year. It bothered her throughout her freshman year at Duke and she had it repaired before last season.
“The big thing for me is to finally be healthy,” said Selby. “I don't think about my knee anymore, so I'm focused on doing the little things that help us win.”
Selby learned early last season that good defense leads to more playing time. Coaches especially love watching players take charges, so Selby sacrificed her body a team-leading 10 times.
“I'll do whatever it takes to play,” she said. “Charges are just part of the deal. It's pretty cool when the crowd gets going and my teammates get fired up. I feel like sort of a veteran on the court and it's my job to show the younger ones how it's done.”
Selby sat out the first two games with a groin injury, then earned her first three career starts with a breakout game at Pitt in front of over 60 family and friends. Selby shot 6-of-9 from the floor and made all three of her three-point shots for a career high 15 points in a career high 23 minutes. She also added four steals and three rebounds.
“I was ready to step in up in front of my family,” said Selby. “I looked for my shot more. It was a great night and it would be nice to have some more like it.”
A couple of weeks later, opportunity knocked again as the Blue Devils trailed by four late in the game against Texas A&M in a battle of top 10 titans at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Selby drained a three-pointer from the wing that started Duke on a run that culminated in a three-point victory.
“That was a huge shot for us,” said McCallie. “Shay has improved in all areas this season. She's a savvy defender who is also a scoring threat. She and Kathleen have worked very hard in the weight room, during preseason, and in practices and games. They have been a huge part of our team's success this season.”
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
G
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