Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus UCLA on March 29, 2026 , Loss , 58, to, 70
/
Final
Women's Basketball
58
vs UCLA
70
Photo by: Duke Athletics
Duke Women's Basketball 50th Season: Barb Krause Q&A
2/13/2025 7:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball
In honor of the 50th season of Duke women's basketball, we had a chance to catch up with some of our storied alums and talk with them about their background, the history and pioneers of the Duke women's basketball program, favorite memories, the growth of women's basketball and women's basketball as a whole, what it means to be a part of The Sisterhood, among other topics.
Next up is the Duke single game and single season record holder, Barb Krause, who played for the Blue Devils from 1978-1981.
Q: WHAT ARE YOU UP TO NOW?
A: I am up in Boone, North Carolina. I retired at the end of 2018 as Deputy General Counsel at Appalachian State University. I'd been working as an attorney in higher education for about 25 years. Boone was my last stop. I stayed here because I love the mountains and it's close to Duke and my friends and former teammates.
Â
Q: TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF. WHEN DID YOU PLAY AT DUKE?
A: I played at Duke from 1978 to 1981. If you do the math, I actually did my freshman year up at Bowdoin College in Maine. I'm from Maine, that's where I was born and raised, and Bowdoin was just down the street. I did my freshman year at Bowdoin and then – back at that time, you didn't' have to sit out – so I transferred to Duke as a sophomore and I played my sophomore, junior and senior seasons at Duke. I was fortunate to be able to go to Germany. I played two years there in Bundesliga, which is the highest level of athletic competition in Germany. I came back and went to law school at Cornell and entered the legal profession. I clerked for a Federal District Court judge for a year and then started at a private firm. I was made partner and then decided that I liked being in higher education. I moved to a college campus, and I was a lawyer and administrator for about 35 years.Â
Â
Q: TAKE US THROUGH YOUR BACKGROUND - FROM GROWING UP IN MAINE TO PLAYING AT BOWDOIN AND THEN TRANSFERRING TO DUKE.
A: Title IX was enacted in 1972. That was for me somewhere around junior high school years. We won a state championship my junior year in high school. There weren't a ton of athletic opportunities for boys or girls, really. I mean the boys had a few more options than the girls did, I guess. I was not heavily recruited, and sports were not promoted the way they are now. Cooper Flagg can tell you how special basketball is in the state of Maine. It's wonderful to be part of that tradition, to win a state championship. The only school that recruited me was Division III, Bowdoin College, which is a terrific school academically. And they'd had some success with women's basketball. Back in the day, at that time, women's sports were not organized by the NCAA. It was state-based. In Maine, Bowdoin would play other Division III schools, but we'd also play the University of Maine at Orono and the University of Maine at Furman. They were much bigger state schools, and so, we'd win all the games that we were supposed to win, and then we'd get beaten by some schools that were just bigger and had more resources. I had a really good freshman year at Bowdoin - I think I averaged something like 23 points and 15 rebounds a game. I decided it meant more to me than I had realized to see how good I could be at basketball. I reached out to some different schools that were [a] good combination of sports and academics, and Duke was high on that list. I was thrilled when I got a call from Debbie Leonard to come down for a tryout. So, I visited. I worked out in Cameron with Coach [Jackie] Silar and Coach [Debbie] Leonard. I was fortunate that I was a pretty good student and that was not an obstacle in terms of me getting into Duke. The opportunity to go to school and play basketball at Duke really altered my life in so many wonderful ways.
Â
Q: HOW DID YOU ACCLIMATE TO JOINING A NEW TEAM?
A: I appreciate that question. There is just so much wonderful energy when you're at the start of something. I want to acknowledge there were people who played club sports at Duke and played in a more informal way. But our group was really at the start of Duke as a varsity sport. When you're in those early years, it's hard to describe the excitement and the opportunity that's been given to you and how happy you are. Everybody has that moment when they put their Duke jersey on and how special that was.Â
Â
Q: WHAT WAS IT LIKE PLAYING FOR COACH DEBBIE LEONARD?
A: The thing that always stands out to me is her competitive nature and how much she had this vision to establish this program. I don't know how old she was, but she was only out of college for a few years at that point. I don't think she was even 30 years old, and she was the head coach of Duke women's basketball. I think she had to advocate a lot behind the scenes. One of the things I always admired about her was – [and] these are things that I know now that [I didn't] as players – she didn't bring it to us. She fought the fight she needed to be fighting behind the scenes, she didn't bring it to us. And all she gave us was every ounce of energy she had to help us be successful on the court, to help us be successful as human beings.
Â
Q: IN THOSE EARLY DAYS, IT WAS VERY MUCH A BUILD, AND EVERYONE WAS ALL HANDS ON DECK. HOW WAS THE PROGRAM STRUCTURED?
A: I'm so glad you asked that question, because you're absolutely right. Jacki Silar was our assistant coach; I think she was unpaid her first year. Jacki and Debbie were a great combination for us because Jacki had a calmer presence. She was every bit as competitive and fiery, but had a Zen-like quality and a wisdom to her, especially at such a young age. Those were our two coaches. They balanced each other wonderfully. We did have other student support. We had managers – Kathy Kennedy was a manager all three of my years. There was a woman named Lynn Bowling, and Martha and Susan Doss. These are people that I am still I touch with. Those managers did things [then] that now you have multiple people doing. They swept the floor before practice; they made Gatorade and they ran drills in practice. The participated in drills so the coaches could observe. Whatever video or film we had, they did it. They drove the vans.
Â
Q: YOU HAVE A REPUTATION FOR BEING A GREAT REBOUNDER, AND STILL HOLD THE DUKE SINGLE SEASON AND SINGLE GAME REBOUNDING RECORDS. WHAT DO YOU THINK MADE YOU A GOOD REBOUNDER, AND WHAT ADVICE COULD YOU OFFER TO OUR CURRENT PLAYERS ABOUT HOW TO BE A GOOD REBOUNDER.
A: I never thought that 50 years later I'd still hold any sort of record at Duke. I am proud of it because I was a 5'10" power forward. What I loved about rebounding was that effort mattered. I loved all those box out drills we had. We used to have a drill that we ran called the towel drill. And it would be set up with offensive and defensive pairs, I guess, around the key. And a coach would be in the middle, and the defensive players would be holding a towel behind their back, behind their necks. And when the coach shot the ball, you had to pivot and box out the offensive player. I would do that drill right now, that's how much I love that drill. And again, I think if you try hard and you want to [you can] box somebody out. So that defensive rebounding, that was part of it. And then offensively I grew up in Maine, as I said. So, I was a huge Celtics fan, and there was a player named Paul Silas who played for them. I heard him talk one time about offensive rebounding, and he said, "when the ball is up, you know, there are certain ways [to tell] if it's a baseline shot, it's most likely a rebound to the other side." Yeah, there are some angles that you can figure out and know about. But his point was [to] know those things. But the biggest thing with offensive rebounding is [to] go to an empty spot, go where nobody is. And sooner or later, some balls are going to come to you. Our undersized rebounder, Oluchi Okananwa, is way faster and more athletic than I was. She has what it takes to be a good rebounder. I love watching her every time she gets a rebound amongst the big trees. It's just effort and wanting it more.
Â
Q: HOW HAS THE GAME EVOLVED FROM WHEN YOU PLAYED UNTIL NOW?
A: There was not a three point line. We still played with a men's size ball. I kind of love that the women's game and the men's games pretty much have mostly the same rules today. There are a few differences, but I think it makes it easier for the general public to watch and appreciate the game. I would have loved to have played with a smaller ball, because I think I would have had even more rebounds. But maybe I would have been able to shoot better.
Â
Q: WHAT WAS THE MOST MEMORABLE PLAY OR GAME THAT STANDS OUT TO YOU FROM OUR PROGRAM'S HISTORY?
A: As I said, I lived up north. So I went to a game that was at UConn when Duke beat UConn at UConn. I'm pretty sure Lauren Rice was playing then, and Duke beat them at Campbell Pavilion. That was a huge victory. Then I got to be there in person, for our first program win when we beat Carolina on Valentine's Day in 1980. That was a huge, huge win for us. Q: What Q: What excites you about the 50th anniversary season and the current state of the program?
Â
Q: WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON AND THE CURRENT STATE OF THE PROGRAM?
A: I did want to talk about why this 50th anniversary means so much. We all stand on the shoulders of giants; we all had some sort of role model. I think life is happier and more fulfilling when you're playing, doing things for something, when you're part of something that's bigger than yourself. And I think that's what I always felt. I always felt like, I love that I was able to play at Duke. And I was also aware that this wasn't just about me, it was about my teammates. It was about this wonderful university. It was about women's sport and its growth into something bigger. And now here we are. And it is it is something bigger. That sense that you were part of a helping to lay a foundation for other people to have success, is really rewarding. One of the things that I love about this current team - I love and really respect that Kara had no transfers out last year. In a world where they can go anywhere, players can go anywhere and transfer, I think that says that makes me excited for Duke basketball. Kara and her staff and the players she's recruiting really make me excited for the program.
Â
Q: WHAT DOES THE SISTERHOOD MEAN TO YOU?
A: It's about the relationships. The Sisterhood extends over a period of time. There are women who played three or four years after me, who I didn't play with, who I consider sisters. They are people who will cheer you on, people who you can go to for counsel. They are people who you will have a connection with over time. They support you when you're down and cheer for you when you're up. Being part of something bigger than yourself just brings so much joy. It also means so much because my experience at Duke meant a lot to me. And whatever I can do to help the next generation. It's really hard for young people today to imagine 50 years down the road – "what's that going to look like?" I wasn't thinking about that at their age. But there will come a day when you've got hard things in your life that you're dealing with that aren't basketball related. And to know that you've got this group of friends and people who will be there for you is just so special.
Â
Q: WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE FUTURE OF DUKE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL?
A: The visibility that it's gaining. I love the way they're sharing the ball on the court. In the games we've played best, we've passed the ball well and made the easy pass. They have a commitment to defense. There seems to be a joy within this team, too. People are playing hard and competing, but there is still a joy with this team. I get the sense that this team is really enjoying their experience and working hard and enjoying what they're doing for each other and for their coach.
Â
Q: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU OFFER TO OUR CURRENT TEAM?
A: Cherish every day that you have that you get to do this thing where you get to put on a Duke practice uniform, where you get to put on a Duke game uniform and express your appreciation to your teammates and to your coaches and to every support person. It takes a village to raise a basketball player and four years flies by. It's not going to be easy all the time. You're not always going to have instant success, but then you wouldn't be competing at the highest level. Embrace the challenge and be grateful for the opportunity you have and stay connected to Duke as you move on in life.
Â
Next up is the Duke single game and single season record holder, Barb Krause, who played for the Blue Devils from 1978-1981.
Q: WHAT ARE YOU UP TO NOW?
A: I am up in Boone, North Carolina. I retired at the end of 2018 as Deputy General Counsel at Appalachian State University. I'd been working as an attorney in higher education for about 25 years. Boone was my last stop. I stayed here because I love the mountains and it's close to Duke and my friends and former teammates.
Â
Q: TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF. WHEN DID YOU PLAY AT DUKE?
A: I played at Duke from 1978 to 1981. If you do the math, I actually did my freshman year up at Bowdoin College in Maine. I'm from Maine, that's where I was born and raised, and Bowdoin was just down the street. I did my freshman year at Bowdoin and then – back at that time, you didn't' have to sit out – so I transferred to Duke as a sophomore and I played my sophomore, junior and senior seasons at Duke. I was fortunate to be able to go to Germany. I played two years there in Bundesliga, which is the highest level of athletic competition in Germany. I came back and went to law school at Cornell and entered the legal profession. I clerked for a Federal District Court judge for a year and then started at a private firm. I was made partner and then decided that I liked being in higher education. I moved to a college campus, and I was a lawyer and administrator for about 35 years.Â
Â
Q: TAKE US THROUGH YOUR BACKGROUND - FROM GROWING UP IN MAINE TO PLAYING AT BOWDOIN AND THEN TRANSFERRING TO DUKE.
A: Title IX was enacted in 1972. That was for me somewhere around junior high school years. We won a state championship my junior year in high school. There weren't a ton of athletic opportunities for boys or girls, really. I mean the boys had a few more options than the girls did, I guess. I was not heavily recruited, and sports were not promoted the way they are now. Cooper Flagg can tell you how special basketball is in the state of Maine. It's wonderful to be part of that tradition, to win a state championship. The only school that recruited me was Division III, Bowdoin College, which is a terrific school academically. And they'd had some success with women's basketball. Back in the day, at that time, women's sports were not organized by the NCAA. It was state-based. In Maine, Bowdoin would play other Division III schools, but we'd also play the University of Maine at Orono and the University of Maine at Furman. They were much bigger state schools, and so, we'd win all the games that we were supposed to win, and then we'd get beaten by some schools that were just bigger and had more resources. I had a really good freshman year at Bowdoin - I think I averaged something like 23 points and 15 rebounds a game. I decided it meant more to me than I had realized to see how good I could be at basketball. I reached out to some different schools that were [a] good combination of sports and academics, and Duke was high on that list. I was thrilled when I got a call from Debbie Leonard to come down for a tryout. So, I visited. I worked out in Cameron with Coach [Jackie] Silar and Coach [Debbie] Leonard. I was fortunate that I was a pretty good student and that was not an obstacle in terms of me getting into Duke. The opportunity to go to school and play basketball at Duke really altered my life in so many wonderful ways.
Â
Q: HOW DID YOU ACCLIMATE TO JOINING A NEW TEAM?
A: I appreciate that question. There is just so much wonderful energy when you're at the start of something. I want to acknowledge there were people who played club sports at Duke and played in a more informal way. But our group was really at the start of Duke as a varsity sport. When you're in those early years, it's hard to describe the excitement and the opportunity that's been given to you and how happy you are. Everybody has that moment when they put their Duke jersey on and how special that was.Â
Â
Q: WHAT WAS IT LIKE PLAYING FOR COACH DEBBIE LEONARD?
A: The thing that always stands out to me is her competitive nature and how much she had this vision to establish this program. I don't know how old she was, but she was only out of college for a few years at that point. I don't think she was even 30 years old, and she was the head coach of Duke women's basketball. I think she had to advocate a lot behind the scenes. One of the things I always admired about her was – [and] these are things that I know now that [I didn't] as players – she didn't bring it to us. She fought the fight she needed to be fighting behind the scenes, she didn't bring it to us. And all she gave us was every ounce of energy she had to help us be successful on the court, to help us be successful as human beings.
Â
Q: IN THOSE EARLY DAYS, IT WAS VERY MUCH A BUILD, AND EVERYONE WAS ALL HANDS ON DECK. HOW WAS THE PROGRAM STRUCTURED?
A: I'm so glad you asked that question, because you're absolutely right. Jacki Silar was our assistant coach; I think she was unpaid her first year. Jacki and Debbie were a great combination for us because Jacki had a calmer presence. She was every bit as competitive and fiery, but had a Zen-like quality and a wisdom to her, especially at such a young age. Those were our two coaches. They balanced each other wonderfully. We did have other student support. We had managers – Kathy Kennedy was a manager all three of my years. There was a woman named Lynn Bowling, and Martha and Susan Doss. These are people that I am still I touch with. Those managers did things [then] that now you have multiple people doing. They swept the floor before practice; they made Gatorade and they ran drills in practice. The participated in drills so the coaches could observe. Whatever video or film we had, they did it. They drove the vans.
Â
Q: YOU HAVE A REPUTATION FOR BEING A GREAT REBOUNDER, AND STILL HOLD THE DUKE SINGLE SEASON AND SINGLE GAME REBOUNDING RECORDS. WHAT DO YOU THINK MADE YOU A GOOD REBOUNDER, AND WHAT ADVICE COULD YOU OFFER TO OUR CURRENT PLAYERS ABOUT HOW TO BE A GOOD REBOUNDER.
A: I never thought that 50 years later I'd still hold any sort of record at Duke. I am proud of it because I was a 5'10" power forward. What I loved about rebounding was that effort mattered. I loved all those box out drills we had. We used to have a drill that we ran called the towel drill. And it would be set up with offensive and defensive pairs, I guess, around the key. And a coach would be in the middle, and the defensive players would be holding a towel behind their back, behind their necks. And when the coach shot the ball, you had to pivot and box out the offensive player. I would do that drill right now, that's how much I love that drill. And again, I think if you try hard and you want to [you can] box somebody out. So that defensive rebounding, that was part of it. And then offensively I grew up in Maine, as I said. So, I was a huge Celtics fan, and there was a player named Paul Silas who played for them. I heard him talk one time about offensive rebounding, and he said, "when the ball is up, you know, there are certain ways [to tell] if it's a baseline shot, it's most likely a rebound to the other side." Yeah, there are some angles that you can figure out and know about. But his point was [to] know those things. But the biggest thing with offensive rebounding is [to] go to an empty spot, go where nobody is. And sooner or later, some balls are going to come to you. Our undersized rebounder, Oluchi Okananwa, is way faster and more athletic than I was. She has what it takes to be a good rebounder. I love watching her every time she gets a rebound amongst the big trees. It's just effort and wanting it more.
Â
Q: HOW HAS THE GAME EVOLVED FROM WHEN YOU PLAYED UNTIL NOW?
A: There was not a three point line. We still played with a men's size ball. I kind of love that the women's game and the men's games pretty much have mostly the same rules today. There are a few differences, but I think it makes it easier for the general public to watch and appreciate the game. I would have loved to have played with a smaller ball, because I think I would have had even more rebounds. But maybe I would have been able to shoot better.
Â
Q: WHAT WAS THE MOST MEMORABLE PLAY OR GAME THAT STANDS OUT TO YOU FROM OUR PROGRAM'S HISTORY?
A: As I said, I lived up north. So I went to a game that was at UConn when Duke beat UConn at UConn. I'm pretty sure Lauren Rice was playing then, and Duke beat them at Campbell Pavilion. That was a huge victory. Then I got to be there in person, for our first program win when we beat Carolina on Valentine's Day in 1980. That was a huge, huge win for us. Q: What Q: What excites you about the 50th anniversary season and the current state of the program?
Â
Q: WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON AND THE CURRENT STATE OF THE PROGRAM?
A: I did want to talk about why this 50th anniversary means so much. We all stand on the shoulders of giants; we all had some sort of role model. I think life is happier and more fulfilling when you're playing, doing things for something, when you're part of something that's bigger than yourself. And I think that's what I always felt. I always felt like, I love that I was able to play at Duke. And I was also aware that this wasn't just about me, it was about my teammates. It was about this wonderful university. It was about women's sport and its growth into something bigger. And now here we are. And it is it is something bigger. That sense that you were part of a helping to lay a foundation for other people to have success, is really rewarding. One of the things that I love about this current team - I love and really respect that Kara had no transfers out last year. In a world where they can go anywhere, players can go anywhere and transfer, I think that says that makes me excited for Duke basketball. Kara and her staff and the players she's recruiting really make me excited for the program.
Â
Q: WHAT DOES THE SISTERHOOD MEAN TO YOU?
A: It's about the relationships. The Sisterhood extends over a period of time. There are women who played three or four years after me, who I didn't play with, who I consider sisters. They are people who will cheer you on, people who you can go to for counsel. They are people who you will have a connection with over time. They support you when you're down and cheer for you when you're up. Being part of something bigger than yourself just brings so much joy. It also means so much because my experience at Duke meant a lot to me. And whatever I can do to help the next generation. It's really hard for young people today to imagine 50 years down the road – "what's that going to look like?" I wasn't thinking about that at their age. But there will come a day when you've got hard things in your life that you're dealing with that aren't basketball related. And to know that you've got this group of friends and people who will be there for you is just so special.
Â
Q: WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE FUTURE OF DUKE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL?
A: The visibility that it's gaining. I love the way they're sharing the ball on the court. In the games we've played best, we've passed the ball well and made the easy pass. They have a commitment to defense. There seems to be a joy within this team, too. People are playing hard and competing, but there is still a joy with this team. I get the sense that this team is really enjoying their experience and working hard and enjoying what they're doing for each other and for their coach.
Â
Q: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU OFFER TO OUR CURRENT TEAM?
A: Cherish every day that you have that you get to do this thing where you get to put on a Duke practice uniform, where you get to put on a Duke game uniform and express your appreciation to your teammates and to your coaches and to every support person. It takes a village to raise a basketball player and four years flies by. It's not going to be easy all the time. You're not always going to have instant success, but then you wouldn't be competing at the highest level. Embrace the challenge and be grateful for the opportunity you have and stay connected to Duke as you move on in life.
Â
Players Mentioned
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The Impact They Didn’t See Coming | Handle Hard Better
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