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Blue Devils Prepare to Chase Championships
10/27/2019 6:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
By Jim Sumner, GoDuke.com
DURHAM, N.C.-- "Our goal every year is to pursue championships. It's what we do. It's Duke basketball."
That's Kyra Lambert's take on Duke's 2019-20 women's basketball season.
Lambert has waited a long time to pursue championships. An ACL injury has kept the 5-9 point guard out of the last two seasons.
Her absence last year was only the first of a series of issues. Combo guard Mikalya Boykin missed the first seven games of the season recovering from her own ACL surgery, played eight games and injured the other knee, missing the remainder of the season. Two other players left the program at mid-season and there were enough nagging injuries that head coach Joanne P. McCallie would look at her bench and see more crutches than playing options.
Duke never quit. But by the end of a 15-15 season the team was running on fumes.
McCallie thinks that effort made her team stronger.
"I think the chemistry is extraordinary and I think that's a result of last year. The chemistry was built under dire adversity."
About Lambert and Boykin. Neither has been cleared for full contact but according to McCallie the trend lines are positive.
"All I can tell you is that they're doing great. They're on pace."
Duke is better equipped this year to succeed until their return.
One reason is 6-0 redshirt senior Haley Gorecki, selected as one of 20 players on the Meyers Drysdale Watch List for the nation's top shooting guard.
The versatile wing led Duke last season with 17.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.
She says she still has room to improve.
"Defense. I'm always going to say defense. Coach P and I talk about that a lot. At the next level you have to be able to guard. And obviously playing at my speed. I have a certain speed. Just getting under control and playing my game."
Gorecki says she's a quiet leader but "I'm definitely a leader, more a leader by example. I like the leadership role. It forces me to be very detailed in work and stressing all the things Coach P stresses."
Then there's Leaonna Odom, a 6-2 senior. Odom has been a nominal power forward for her first three years but one who could defend multiple positions, handle the ball and attack from anywhere on the court.
She'll be handling the ball a lot this season, even when Lambert and Boykin return.
"She is a three, a two, a one," McCallie says. "If we play four guards, she'll be a point four. Â
She has the ability to elevate and get past people. We want that shot. She's got the best riser in the country. But as a professional, she'll need that [3-point] shot. But we've got a lot of jump shooters. You don't win games just on jump shots. You have to do it all."
Odom says she's ready to absorb the leadership responsibilities of being a senior, while expanding her game.
"Being a senior, I've had some type of realization. It goes by fast. I'm playing point-guard now. It's fun to play that front position. I think it's actually easier [to get inside] from the point position because in our offense we have screens coming and all that."
"She's a versatile player," 6-5 junior Jade Williams adds "and she's getting comfortable at that role. I feel like if I run the floor, she will find me. She's very good at drawing defenses and creating openings and gaps.
Post players Williams and Onome Akinbode-James, a 6-3 sophomore, have expanded their games with a summer of focused hard work.
"Being more aggressive was a big issue for me this summer," Williams says. "I've been working on my game from the inside out."
After the Blue/White scrimmage Williams noted "most of my shots today came from opening gaps and I think that Neah [Odom] and Haley definitely found those. If it's open, I'm going to take it."
Akinbode-James says the game is slowing down for her and she's moving with more confidence and purpose than she did as a freshman.
Twin towers?
Williams thinks so.
"Onome is so talented. She has expanded her game, which makes it easier for us to play together. She plays out to the three-point line which gives us more room to operate. I see no problem playing with her [at the same time]. She's also had a great summer. She's been working hard. She can shoot, she can drive, she's impressive on the boards. We've been in the gym together, working on our inside game, our outside game. I think she's going to have a big year."
Miela Goodchild also had a big summer, helping Australia to a silver medal at the FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup.
Goodchild is a spectacular long-range shooter but has been working on her ball handling, the better to distribute to her teammates, while getting to the line more often, where she can exploit her 87 percent free-throw shooting.
"Miela is one of our hardest workers," McCallie says. "All she's interested in is getting better. She had a great summer. I think she gained a lot of experience. She knows the game. She looked at her weaknesses. She can shoot with her eyes closed but the mid-range game, shooting off the dribble, that's where she needs to keep improving."
Junior guard Jayda Adams and freshman center Jennifer Ezeh will both miss the season with knee injuries. Ezeh's absence opens the door for 6-4 senior Emily Schubert or 6-6 sophomore Uchenna Nwoke to add interior depth.
There are three freshmen who should contribute. Jada Claude is a 6-0 forward, a strong rebounder and shot blocker. Azana Baines is a versatile 6-1 lefty, an athletic slasher who can play anywhere on the perimeter, including point guard. Jaida Patrick is 5-10, with the potential to be a lockdown defender.
"They really work hard," McCallie says of the newcomers. "They're very confident and they're really pushing for playing time. They're easy to coach, athletic, really bring up our speed, quickness and athleticism."
If it sounds like Duke has lots of ball handlers, that's the plan. McCallie says Duke has lots of options.
"We want to be able to put five players on the floor who can hit the three and spread the floor. We can go big or we can go small or anything in between."
The schedule includes road trips to Texas A&M, South Carolina and Nebraska in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, in addition to the typically brutal ACC gauntlet.
McCallie acknowledges that her team has a lot of work to do to meet those challenges.
But she likes her team.
"We've gotten better every day. We've gotten faster. We're a little bit more multiple defensively. There's a lot of intensity. Lots of drills, lot of winners and losers, lots of immediacy over and over. At the same time, we have to get used to the mundane. I wouldn't put any limits. Our goals never change. Our circumstances change but not our goals. We just try to be the very best."
#GoDuke
Â
DURHAM, N.C.-- "Our goal every year is to pursue championships. It's what we do. It's Duke basketball."
That's Kyra Lambert's take on Duke's 2019-20 women's basketball season.
Lambert has waited a long time to pursue championships. An ACL injury has kept the 5-9 point guard out of the last two seasons.
Her absence last year was only the first of a series of issues. Combo guard Mikalya Boykin missed the first seven games of the season recovering from her own ACL surgery, played eight games and injured the other knee, missing the remainder of the season. Two other players left the program at mid-season and there were enough nagging injuries that head coach Joanne P. McCallie would look at her bench and see more crutches than playing options.
Duke never quit. But by the end of a 15-15 season the team was running on fumes.
McCallie thinks that effort made her team stronger.
"I think the chemistry is extraordinary and I think that's a result of last year. The chemistry was built under dire adversity."
About Lambert and Boykin. Neither has been cleared for full contact but according to McCallie the trend lines are positive.
"All I can tell you is that they're doing great. They're on pace."
Duke is better equipped this year to succeed until their return.
One reason is 6-0 redshirt senior Haley Gorecki, selected as one of 20 players on the Meyers Drysdale Watch List for the nation's top shooting guard.
The versatile wing led Duke last season with 17.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.
She says she still has room to improve.
"Defense. I'm always going to say defense. Coach P and I talk about that a lot. At the next level you have to be able to guard. And obviously playing at my speed. I have a certain speed. Just getting under control and playing my game."
Gorecki says she's a quiet leader but "I'm definitely a leader, more a leader by example. I like the leadership role. It forces me to be very detailed in work and stressing all the things Coach P stresses."
Then there's Leaonna Odom, a 6-2 senior. Odom has been a nominal power forward for her first three years but one who could defend multiple positions, handle the ball and attack from anywhere on the court.
She'll be handling the ball a lot this season, even when Lambert and Boykin return.
"She is a three, a two, a one," McCallie says. "If we play four guards, she'll be a point four. Â
She has the ability to elevate and get past people. We want that shot. She's got the best riser in the country. But as a professional, she'll need that [3-point] shot. But we've got a lot of jump shooters. You don't win games just on jump shots. You have to do it all."
Odom says she's ready to absorb the leadership responsibilities of being a senior, while expanding her game.
"Being a senior, I've had some type of realization. It goes by fast. I'm playing point-guard now. It's fun to play that front position. I think it's actually easier [to get inside] from the point position because in our offense we have screens coming and all that."
"She's a versatile player," 6-5 junior Jade Williams adds "and she's getting comfortable at that role. I feel like if I run the floor, she will find me. She's very good at drawing defenses and creating openings and gaps.
Post players Williams and Onome Akinbode-James, a 6-3 sophomore, have expanded their games with a summer of focused hard work.
"Being more aggressive was a big issue for me this summer," Williams says. "I've been working on my game from the inside out."
After the Blue/White scrimmage Williams noted "most of my shots today came from opening gaps and I think that Neah [Odom] and Haley definitely found those. If it's open, I'm going to take it."
Akinbode-James says the game is slowing down for her and she's moving with more confidence and purpose than she did as a freshman.
Twin towers?
Williams thinks so.
"Onome is so talented. She has expanded her game, which makes it easier for us to play together. She plays out to the three-point line which gives us more room to operate. I see no problem playing with her [at the same time]. She's also had a great summer. She's been working hard. She can shoot, she can drive, she's impressive on the boards. We've been in the gym together, working on our inside game, our outside game. I think she's going to have a big year."
Miela Goodchild also had a big summer, helping Australia to a silver medal at the FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup.
Goodchild is a spectacular long-range shooter but has been working on her ball handling, the better to distribute to her teammates, while getting to the line more often, where she can exploit her 87 percent free-throw shooting.
"Miela is one of our hardest workers," McCallie says. "All she's interested in is getting better. She had a great summer. I think she gained a lot of experience. She knows the game. She looked at her weaknesses. She can shoot with her eyes closed but the mid-range game, shooting off the dribble, that's where she needs to keep improving."
Junior guard Jayda Adams and freshman center Jennifer Ezeh will both miss the season with knee injuries. Ezeh's absence opens the door for 6-4 senior Emily Schubert or 6-6 sophomore Uchenna Nwoke to add interior depth.
There are three freshmen who should contribute. Jada Claude is a 6-0 forward, a strong rebounder and shot blocker. Azana Baines is a versatile 6-1 lefty, an athletic slasher who can play anywhere on the perimeter, including point guard. Jaida Patrick is 5-10, with the potential to be a lockdown defender.
"They really work hard," McCallie says of the newcomers. "They're very confident and they're really pushing for playing time. They're easy to coach, athletic, really bring up our speed, quickness and athleticism."
If it sounds like Duke has lots of ball handlers, that's the plan. McCallie says Duke has lots of options.
"We want to be able to put five players on the floor who can hit the three and spread the floor. We can go big or we can go small or anything in between."
The schedule includes road trips to Texas A&M, South Carolina and Nebraska in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, in addition to the typically brutal ACC gauntlet.
McCallie acknowledges that her team has a lot of work to do to meet those challenges.
But she likes her team.
"We've gotten better every day. We've gotten faster. We're a little bit more multiple defensively. There's a lot of intensity. Lots of drills, lot of winners and losers, lots of immediacy over and over. At the same time, we have to get used to the mundane. I wouldn't put any limits. Our goals never change. Our circumstances change but not our goals. We just try to be the very best."
#GoDuke
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Players Mentioned
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F/C
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