RALEIGH -- Currently the world's fastest woman, Marion Jones used to be better known for her talents on the hardcourt at North Carolina than in track and field. As a 5-foot-11 freshman point guard, Jones led the Tar Heels to a national championship, largely due to her superior speed and athleticism.
And despite her teammate's joke that she is "the fastest human being alive," the parallels between Jones and Duke freshman Lindsey Harding are sincere. Like her predecessor from UNC, Harding was a highly touted youth runner, competing year-round for the Houston Junior Olympic team. In fact, she didn't even start playing basketball until she was a seventh grader.
Since then, Harding's focus has differed from Jones, who excelled in both basketball and track through college, as the 5-11 point guard will specialize in basketball for Duke. That's not to say she couldn't double as a track star if she wanted to, as she was easily the most prolific athlete on the floor Sunday in a game pitting the top two basketball teams in America.
"I really do think she's the fastest player I've ever seen," Wynter Whitley said. "She's at normal one second and the next second she's gone, and you're like, 'Where's Lindsey?'"
Well, she's pretty much everywhere. And "fast" hardly encapsulates all that she brings to the floor for the No. 1 Blue Devils.
Her explosiveness helped her terrorize Tennessee all night long, particularly senior point guard Kara Lawson. When Harding had the ball, she used nifty ballhandling to befuddle Lawson, and then used quick first, second, third, and fourth steps to blow by her defender, making the Volunteer look silly on several occasions. Defensively, Harding's agility and stellar footwork was evident as she blanketed Lawson, serving as a pivotal cog in a Duke defense that forced 23 un-Volunteer-like turnovers.
In fact, Harding was the impetus for Duke in the first half when the Blue Devils were struggling to keep up with Tennessee. Trailing 17-10, Harding pulled down a rebound and turned to look for an open teammate downcourt. Everyone was already running down to the other end, however, so Harding put her shoulder down and sprinted up the right side of the court. She left Lawson in her dust, along with everyone else on the floor.
"I had this big burst of energy and I just went for it," Harding said.
She steered herself toward the basket, her legs churning, but misfired on a layup that rolled off the backside of the rim. Whitley grabbed the rebound and put the ball into the hoop, despite being fouled on the attempt. She made the ensuing free throw, as Duke would go on an 9-0 run to take a lead the Blue Devils would never relinquish. During the stretch, Harding's ability to push the tempo and stymie Tennessee's momentum was critical.
"She's a spark coming off the bench," Alana Beard said. "She's a great player, she's going to help us."
Perhaps the only thing more impressive about Harding's speed is her heart. A fervent competitor, Harding was credited with three steals, five assists, seven points and seven rebounds. But her hustle and scrappiness were much more valuable, because as a freshman she was able to motivate her teammates and help rejuvenate the Blue Devils.
"I thought she showed a lot of composure," she said. "There is certainly a great upside to her joining Duke's already very talented team."
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