When the Blue Devils’ 2015 recruiting class arrived on campus, the group of five players was expected to help Duke get back to the Sweet 16 and maybe even compete for a Final Four berth.
Instead, injuries and a difficult adjustment to the college game caused the Blue Devils to miss the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1994.
Angela Salvadores left her classmates in the offseason to pursue a professional career in Spain, meaning Duke’s sophomore class is down to four players entering the season. One of those four, sharpshooter Haley Gorecki, suffered a setback recovering from a season-ending hip injury and is now expected to return in December.
But even though they are starting the year without two of their original classmates, the Blue Devils say they are much more comfortable entering their second year and ready to make their mark in a guard-oriented offense.
“The team chemistry has improved a ton. We’re reading off of each other more, knowing where people like it—people’s preferences. All of us are being a lot more vocal and more physical,” sophomore point guard Kyra Lambert said. “We’ve grown immensely—especially in the weight room. We’ve busted our butts in the weight room all summer. Everybody’s coming back, different bodies, just really prepared for the season.”
Lambert was forced into action last year, logging the second-most minutes on the team with 27.3 per game and making 23 starts as a rookie. The 5-foot-9 guard handled the uncertainty well, though, scoring a team-high 16 points when Duke nearly upset national title contender South Carolina and posting season averages of 6.2 points and 2.5 assists.
Alongside All-ACC guard Rebecca Greenwell and All-American Maryland transfer Lexie Brown, Lambert will be tasked with keeping the Blue Devil offense running smoothly after Duke ranked 306th nationally with 18.5 turnovers per game a season ago. When Lambert, Brown and Greenwell led Duke’s White team during the first quarter of the team’s annual Blue-White scrimmage, their lineup won the quarter 22-13 and committed no turnovers.
If Lambert can avoid giveaways and improve on her 32.1-percent clip from last season, the Cibolo, Texas, native could be poised for a breakout sophomore campaign with defenses likely to key on Greenwell and Brown.
“Out of all the sophomores, I think you should be watching for Kyra. She has made big improvements and worked on her shot a lot this summer,” Gorecki said. “She’s been in the gym everyday. She’s one of the hardest working people I know so definitely watch out for her.”
Defenses will not have to worry about Gorecki until December at the earliest, with Blue Devil head coach Joanne P. McCallie calling it “ridiculous” that her application for a medical redshirt was not approved by the NCAA. The 6-foot guard lost most of her freshman campaign due to injury, and will have to get back in the swing of things quickly after shooting just 27.8 percent from the field in 14 games last season.
“She’s really critical because she’s the kind of guard that has that composure piece, and she has the three-ball,” McCallie said. “If I need to have Becca sit for a while so she can get some rest, [Haley] is a great sub for Becca because she can do a lot of the same things.”
The last two sophomores on McCallie’s roster are in similar positions heading into the season—Crystal Primm and Faith Suggs are hoping to carve out niches after playing sporadically last year. A slashing wing, Primm averaged 4.6 points in 18.8 minutes per contest, and Suggs averaged less than 10 minutes per game while struggling to consistently break into the rotation.
With five-star freshman Leaonna Odom also in the mix for big minutes on the wing, it will be interesting to see how McCallie manages the group that could come off the bench and how often the Blue Devils play small this season.
If Duke plays more small ball without the true post presence it has had in recent years, Primm and Suggs could have a major impact since they play multiple positions and have the tools to stand out on defense.
“The biggest difference for us right now is confidence. We’re really comfortable on the court with what Coach P does and what to do,” Suggs said. “Being a freshman, you kind of need help along the way, and now we can kind of help others.”
The Blue Devils expect Greenwell and Brown to star in the backcourt and seniors Oderah Chidom and Kendall Cooper to hold their own down low.
But more unexpected contributions from Duke’s sophomore quartet could set the team apart this season—making the group’s production a key stat to watch throughout the year.
“I’m not saying I wasn’t confident last year but I just know I’ve been through it already, the other sophomores have been through it already,” Primm said. “We know the opponents. We’ve played them before. You know yourself a little better and who’s around you.”
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