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
Blue Devils Welcome Smith & Thomas Back to Cameron
12/2/2016 1:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
By Sarah Leggett & Kyle Corwin, Duke Athletics
DURHAM, N.C.-- The Duke women's basketball team and staff were excited to welcome back fellow Blue Devils Wanisha Smith and Krystal Thomas to Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Smith, a former All-America at Duke, enters her eighth season at Longwood as an assistant coach. Smith works primarily with the team's guards while also working with recruiting, scouting opponents and helping with individual practice sessions. Additionally, she oversees the coaching in camps and clinics.
When asked what it is like returning to Duke, Smith said, “It's an experience that I cannot explain. An hour out while driving here, my grin was ear to ear. Just to be back here is surreal. Just to have played here is an honor and a blessing. I'm just excited to be here.”
Smith helped lead the Blue Devils to an average of 32 wins during her career and was selected as a team captain for 2007-08. She concluded her collegiate career ranked fourth in assists (496), including a freshman record (154) during the 2004-05 campaign. Smith was the 22nd Blue Devil to reach 1,000 career points and finished her outstanding career with 1,256 points.
Outside of her collegiate career, Smith was picked 27th overall in the 2008 WNBA Draft by the New York Liberty and briefly played with the Detroit Shock.
“Us going to the Final Four in 2006 was a huge deal,” Smith replied when asked about some of her favorite memories while playing at Duke. “We had been there in previous years (2003), but to go there in 2006 was a huge honor for us because we had worked so hard to get there and it definitely paid off. I would also say every time we played UNC. That was huge because it was a rivalry game, there was always something to prove, and I believe we won more than we lost. It was just so exciting to play a team right down the road that we could compete with. I would also say just being here at Duke. It was an experience in itself. Just playing here in Cameron and being around all the fans who are diehard and loyal to us was huge. Just the experience of being here, being recruited, and getting your first uniform was super exciting.”
Smith says she would love to be a head coach one day but has “had so much fun teaching these girls and being part of a team that is forward-thinking and always trying to get better.”
Thomas, a former Duke standout, enters her second season at Grand Canyon as an assistant coach working primarily as the recruiting coordinator, involved with player development and assists with defensive coordination.
“Being back at Duke is so exciting and weird at the same time,” Thomas said. “I have so many memories from playing here but to be able to come back this time on the coaching side is exciting.”
While at Duke, Thomas was the captain of the team her senior year and was a four-year varsity letter winner. She led the Blue Devils to back-to-back ACC regular season titles, back to back ACC tournament titles and back to back quarterfinal appearances. During her senior year, Thomas was named to the All-ACC third team, led the ACC in rebounding and garnered Full Court Press Defensive Player of the Year accolades.
Since rounding out her collegiate career in 2011, Thomas “played professionally for the bulk of the time, both in the WNBA and overseas.” Thomas was drafted 36th overall to the Seattle Storm in the WNBA and also played for the Phoenix Mercury and Indiana Fever throughout her professional career (2011-14). Thomas appeared in two Western Conference finals and one Eastern Conference final over the years. Additionally, Thomas recently got engaged and will be married soon.
During her off-season, Thomas played overseas in France, China and Spain. While in Spain, Thomas played for Perfumerias Avenida and won La SuperCopa, La Copa De La Reina and reached the final eight in the Euroleague Playoffs.
When asked what she is most impressed with regarding the Duke program, she said “I just love how great Duke is. Duke continues to be Duke. They have a lot of young players with talent on the rise and it will be great to see the program take off and get back to winning those championships on a regular basis. It's great to see familiar faces, who are sticking around and building the program.”
#GoDuke
DURHAM, N.C.-- The Duke women's basketball team and staff were excited to welcome back fellow Blue Devils Wanisha Smith and Krystal Thomas to Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Smith, a former All-America at Duke, enters her eighth season at Longwood as an assistant coach. Smith works primarily with the team's guards while also working with recruiting, scouting opponents and helping with individual practice sessions. Additionally, she oversees the coaching in camps and clinics.
When asked what it is like returning to Duke, Smith said, “It's an experience that I cannot explain. An hour out while driving here, my grin was ear to ear. Just to be back here is surreal. Just to have played here is an honor and a blessing. I'm just excited to be here.”
Smith helped lead the Blue Devils to an average of 32 wins during her career and was selected as a team captain for 2007-08. She concluded her collegiate career ranked fourth in assists (496), including a freshman record (154) during the 2004-05 campaign. Smith was the 22nd Blue Devil to reach 1,000 career points and finished her outstanding career with 1,256 points.
Outside of her collegiate career, Smith was picked 27th overall in the 2008 WNBA Draft by the New York Liberty and briefly played with the Detroit Shock.
“Us going to the Final Four in 2006 was a huge deal,” Smith replied when asked about some of her favorite memories while playing at Duke. “We had been there in previous years (2003), but to go there in 2006 was a huge honor for us because we had worked so hard to get there and it definitely paid off. I would also say every time we played UNC. That was huge because it was a rivalry game, there was always something to prove, and I believe we won more than we lost. It was just so exciting to play a team right down the road that we could compete with. I would also say just being here at Duke. It was an experience in itself. Just playing here in Cameron and being around all the fans who are diehard and loyal to us was huge. Just the experience of being here, being recruited, and getting your first uniform was super exciting.”
Smith says she would love to be a head coach one day but has “had so much fun teaching these girls and being part of a team that is forward-thinking and always trying to get better.”
Thomas, a former Duke standout, enters her second season at Grand Canyon as an assistant coach working primarily as the recruiting coordinator, involved with player development and assists with defensive coordination.
“Being back at Duke is so exciting and weird at the same time,” Thomas said. “I have so many memories from playing here but to be able to come back this time on the coaching side is exciting.”
While at Duke, Thomas was the captain of the team her senior year and was a four-year varsity letter winner. She led the Blue Devils to back-to-back ACC regular season titles, back to back ACC tournament titles and back to back quarterfinal appearances. During her senior year, Thomas was named to the All-ACC third team, led the ACC in rebounding and garnered Full Court Press Defensive Player of the Year accolades.
Since rounding out her collegiate career in 2011, Thomas “played professionally for the bulk of the time, both in the WNBA and overseas.” Thomas was drafted 36th overall to the Seattle Storm in the WNBA and also played for the Phoenix Mercury and Indiana Fever throughout her professional career (2011-14). Thomas appeared in two Western Conference finals and one Eastern Conference final over the years. Additionally, Thomas recently got engaged and will be married soon.
During her off-season, Thomas played overseas in France, China and Spain. While in Spain, Thomas played for Perfumerias Avenida and won La SuperCopa, La Copa De La Reina and reached the final eight in the Euroleague Playoffs.
When asked what she is most impressed with regarding the Duke program, she said “I just love how great Duke is. Duke continues to be Duke. They have a lot of young players with talent on the rise and it will be great to see the program take off and get back to winning those championships on a regular basis. It's great to see familiar faces, who are sticking around and building the program.”
#GoDuke
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