Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus UCLA on March 29, 2026 , Loss , 58, to, 70
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Final
Women's Basketball
58
vs UCLA
70
Q&A with Duke Alumna Haley Peters
5/1/2015 11:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
DURHAM, N.C.— Recently GoDuke.com caught up with 2014 Duke alumna Haley Peters, who recently got back from playing professionally in Spain. It was her first experience playing overseas and the 6-3 wing played extremely well. She averaged a team-high 15.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.2 assists.
Where did you play overseas and what was the team called?
I played in northwestern Spain, in a province called Galicia. The name of the team was Universitario de Ferrol.
How was it getting adjusted to playing basketball overseas and was it tough learning the language?
I think I adjusted pretty well. Like any new situation, it takes time to learn the system and a coach's preferences, but I was able to pick up on it pretty quickly. I had taken some Spanish waaaay back in middle school, but by the middle of the year I was able to understand most of the talk on the basketball court.
What was the biggest challenge with playing overseas?
The biggest challenge was the time away from your family and friends. While you become close with your teammates, there is nothing that can compare to the bonds that come through four years of college, both with teammates and friends off the court.
Did you get to travel around much to enjoy the country and if so what were a few highlights?
I had the chance to travel, mostly after the season. I went through Portugal-Porto, Lisbon, and to a small town in Portuguese wine country-- and spent Easter in Seville. Afterwards I got to meet up with Tricia Liston in Italy where we visited Rome and Florence. The highlights for me were Beja, the Portuguese wine country where I stayed at a vineyard, and Florence, because the food and architecture was incredible.
How was the food and what did you like the most?
The food in Spain was good, but the food in Italy was on a different level. From Spain, I am going to miss the tortilla, which is a dish with eggs, potatoes, and onions, the empanadas, and the cafe con leche. From Italy, I am going to miss everything :).
Did you get to be good friends with any of your teammates?
I became pretty close with my roommate, Itziar, who is from Barcelona and played for a year at Kent State in Ohio. Denesha Stallworth, who played at Kentucky, was the other American on the team, and we developed a pretty good relationship over the year. I'm sure we'll keep in touch. All of my teammates were great, and we were a very young team, so all around the same age. I really am going to miss every one of them.
What kinds of crowds did your team draw for games?
Our home games had very small crowds, probably never more than 800 people, but they were very loud. A lot of our fans were younger kids who played for the club's youth teams, and they always had drums and horns. The fans in Spain are really passionate. We played in front of some larger crowds, particularly when we played against Spain's Euroleague team.
Is there much media responsibilities involved with playing overseas?
There weren't many, because most required that you speak Spanish. We did one or two autograph events for our sponsors, but that was about it.
Would you travel back there again to play?
I would definitely go back to Spain! The country is beautiful, and more than anything, the people are incredibly friendly and genuine.
Where did you play overseas and what was the team called?
I played in northwestern Spain, in a province called Galicia. The name of the team was Universitario de Ferrol.
How was it getting adjusted to playing basketball overseas and was it tough learning the language?
I think I adjusted pretty well. Like any new situation, it takes time to learn the system and a coach's preferences, but I was able to pick up on it pretty quickly. I had taken some Spanish waaaay back in middle school, but by the middle of the year I was able to understand most of the talk on the basketball court.
What was the biggest challenge with playing overseas?
The biggest challenge was the time away from your family and friends. While you become close with your teammates, there is nothing that can compare to the bonds that come through four years of college, both with teammates and friends off the court.
Did you get to travel around much to enjoy the country and if so what were a few highlights?
I had the chance to travel, mostly after the season. I went through Portugal-Porto, Lisbon, and to a small town in Portuguese wine country-- and spent Easter in Seville. Afterwards I got to meet up with Tricia Liston in Italy where we visited Rome and Florence. The highlights for me were Beja, the Portuguese wine country where I stayed at a vineyard, and Florence, because the food and architecture was incredible.
How was the food and what did you like the most?
The food in Spain was good, but the food in Italy was on a different level. From Spain, I am going to miss the tortilla, which is a dish with eggs, potatoes, and onions, the empanadas, and the cafe con leche. From Italy, I am going to miss everything :).
Did you get to be good friends with any of your teammates?
I became pretty close with my roommate, Itziar, who is from Barcelona and played for a year at Kent State in Ohio. Denesha Stallworth, who played at Kentucky, was the other American on the team, and we developed a pretty good relationship over the year. I'm sure we'll keep in touch. All of my teammates were great, and we were a very young team, so all around the same age. I really am going to miss every one of them.
What kinds of crowds did your team draw for games?
Our home games had very small crowds, probably never more than 800 people, but they were very loud. A lot of our fans were younger kids who played for the club's youth teams, and they always had drums and horns. The fans in Spain are really passionate. We played in front of some larger crowds, particularly when we played against Spain's Euroleague team.
Is there much media responsibilities involved with playing overseas?
There weren't many, because most required that you speak Spanish. We did one or two autograph events for our sponsors, but that was about it.
Would you travel back there again to play?
I would definitely go back to Spain! The country is beautiful, and more than anything, the people are incredibly friendly and genuine.
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