This is the third in a series of profiles about the fall signees of the men's and women's basketball teams. The men's team has signed forwards Shane Battier and Chris Burgess, while the women's team inked forward Rochelle Parent and guard Georgia Schweitzer.
Today: Parent and Schweitzer.
Coach Gail Goestenkors and the Duke women's basketball team grabbed two Buckeyes in the early signing period.
The Blue Devils signed Ohioans Rochelle Parent, a 5-foot-11 forward from Copley High School in Akron, and Georgia Schweitzer, a 6-foot point guard from Bishop Hartley High School in Columbus. Both players will fit right into the up-tempo, athletic team that Goestenkors has built in her four years at Duke.
Parent is a superb multi-sport athlete who averaged 17 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and 4.5 steals a game in her junior season. In addition to being named Inland Ohio Player of the Year, Suburban League Player of the Year and first-team All-Northeast Ohio, Parent won the state championship in the 300-meter hurdles for her school's track team and was named to numerous all-area teams in volleyball.
"Rochelle is a tremendous student athlete and we are looking for her to add quickness and athleticism to our perimeter game," Goestenkors said. "She's a slasher who possesses great defensive abilities."
As the tallest player on her high school team, Parent is called on to play center for Copley but will be ready to make the move to small forward next year. Goestenkors compares Parent's athleticism favorably to that of freshman forward Peppi Browne, last week's ACC women's basketball rookie of the week.
Opposing players often make the mistaken assumption that because of her size, Parent is slow and uncoordinated. Though she plays in the post, Parent is confident in her ball handling abilities, and with her 28-inch vertical jump she can grab onto the rim.
"I've seen her outjump 6-foot-5 players," Copley High coach David Kemp said. "She's never been outjumped in her high school career at center."
Kemp predicts that Rochelle will flourish at small forward where she will be able to face the basket and use her dribbling skills. Parent will play only basketball at Duke, and Kemp thinks that will allow her to focus and improve her game even more. Throughout this season and the summer, Rochelle plans to work on her jump shot and to add strength that she'll need for the college game.
After narrowing her college choices to Xavier, Ohio State, Pittsburgh and Duke, she chose to become a Blue Devil largely because of the school's academic reputation. Parent plans to study electrical engineering next fall.
"I couldn't pass [the academics] up," Parent said. "I went down [to Duke] and just loved the team."
Georgia Schweitzer began at the point guard position because early in her high school career she was one of the shorter players. Thanks to a six inch growth spurt between her sophomore and junior seasons, Georgia soon towered over other guards. Since she was accustomed to playing the point guard position, she stayed with it, and her size gives her a distinct advantage.
"I can see over other players and post up other point guards," Schweitzer said.
Schweitzer finished her junior year averaging 21.8 points, 4.5 assists, 6.2 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 3.5 steals per game. Her efforts earned her first-team all-league and all-district selections. In addition to being second team all-state, Schweitzer was selected to the Ohio Girls' Basketball Magazine Dream Team. An AAU All-America, Schweitzer led her squad to third place at the AAU Nationals this summer.
"Georgia can play any perimeter position for us," Goestenkors said. "She has great court vision and a tremendous understanding of the game. She is an exceptional passer and three-point shooter, and I expect her to contribute immediately."
In addition to giving her a post-up game, Schweitzer's size allows her to battle inside for rebounds. At Bishop Hartley, she plays the role of push guard. She favors an up-tempo, running game, and her job is to set and maintain the fast pace. Goestenkors sees her running and pressing abilities as an instant asset to next year's team. Over this season, Schweitzer is refining the skills that will be important to her on the next level.
"She's working on controlling the tempo, making good decisions," Bishop Hartley coach Toni Roesch said. "She's working on taking control."
Like her future classmate, Schweitzer chose to leave her home in the midwest for Durham, choosing Duke over Notre Dame and Ohio State. Her campus visit sealed the decision for Schweitzer.
"I really liked the campus, the players and the coach," Schweitzer said. "It just felt right."
If Schweitzer and Parent fit in as well as expected, Coach Goestenkors may return to the Buckeye state to recruit more often.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.