Duke Women’s Basketball 2018 Season Preview

This will be Coach Joanne P. McCallie’s 12^th year at Duke. The Lady Blue Devils will be returning 12 players, but only two of which saw regular minutes as a starter. Juniors Leaonna Odom and Haley Gorecki are the returning starters from last year. Coach P will be looking to really create a more up-tempo game by being more aggressive in transition. Every player will be able to initiate their offense, but when Kyra Lambert and Mikayla Boykin return towards the middle of the season, look for those two to really solidify that point guard spot.

Point guards Mikayla Boykin and Kyra Lambert are looking to return back from ACL injuries in the early part of the season. Both will really help control the pace of the game offensively and help the Lady Blue Devils get continuity on defense as far as intensity and communication.

Here are my three keys to the season for the Lady Blue Devils

Inside scoring is a must for the Lady Blue Devils

Duke will not have the luxury of having the Splash Sisters (Lexie Brown and Rebecca Greenwell) to lean on for outside shooting this season. Duke has great slashers and inside presences in Leaonna Odom, Jade Williams, and Faith Suggs.

Odom had a breakout performance in the NCAA tournament last year, averaging 21 ppg, 7 rebounds, and three assists per game in three games. Defense is still the strength of her game. Odom has a solid frame and a very long wingspan that allows her to cover any position 1-5. 

Suggs, as a senior leader, is really stepping up in to a big role this season. Last year Suggs averaged 2.2 points per game and started in only seven contests. The Illinois-native will be tasked to be the one to attack the middle of the floor. Suggs is not that much of a shooter/finisher, but she has the ability to drive inside, suck the defense in, and make the right choices with the ball.

Williams was a talented freshman last season, but the pace and physicality of the game seemed to sometimes slow her down on the court. She now seems stronger and more poised in her minutes she is playing. Her post moves no longer seemed rushed and her attacks to the basket are more intelligent than ever before. The sophomore from Texas discussed her efficient moves after the game. “I knew I was going to play a bigger role this season so it was a huge focus for me this offseason.” Williams really impressed in her ability to control the paint on defense. She had a team-best 40 blocks last season and only has more experience under her belt.

 

Haley Gorecki will be the main piece to the puzzle that is Duke.

Replacing Rebecca Greenwell (13.9 ppg) and Lexie Brown (19.4 ppg) is going to be a difficult task but look for Haley Gorecki to be the person to step up and shoulder the scoring load this season. Gorecki is a poised scorer that really started to shine towards the end of last season (11 ppg) before an injury sidelined her for the remainder of the season. Gorecki is a bona fide scorer that can shoot from deep or can put the ball on the floor and get a bucket inside the arc as well. Her experience, poise, and determination to get the ball in the basket will really help Duke dig deep in tough situations. My biggest question for Gorecki coming in to the season is will she be ready to shoulder the load and put the team on her back. There will be several other key players on the court, but I believe most teams will start to game plan and scout for ways to shut her down. Will she be ready for the intensity of being in the spotlight this season? She has looked very poised in practice and in the Blue/White scrimmage on Sunday. I believe she will go down as one of the better players to ever come through Duke.

 

The future is bright for Duke

With a young and inexperienced team, Duke will more than likely go through some tough stretches during this season. But by the time the season approaches the end, you will see a significantly different Duke team. Duke is returning 12 players, nine of which are underclassmen. These ladies will have to learn how to communicate better, move off-ball, and really play together as a team. All of the issues mentioned previously are things that will correct itself over time.

Rayah Craig and Miela Goodchild will be two freshmen to watch out for. Craig is a crafty guard from Arizona. She does a good job of communicating with her teammates and she is very aggressive in getting her shots off. While she may not have it all together now, she will be a very productive player in the years to come. Coach P mentioned that she has a little “pit bull” in her.

Goodchild is a seasoned guard from Australia who signed to Duke late. She averaged 19.4 ppg as a senior and high school. Her great deal of international experience will really help Duke’s production on offense. Don’t just think of her as all offensive either. Goodchild has very active hands on defense and can be an annoying gnat on a ball-handler.

Duke will get their first look at another team when the Lady Blue Devils host Alaska Anchorage in their first exhibition game of the season on November 4^th at 2 pm.

(Photos courtesy of Duke Athletics)