Halfway across the world, there's a classroom of Saudi Arabian fifth graders who have had little exposure to the English language.
But there's one thing they do know about: Duke women's basketball.
Mazie Black, junior center Chante Black's mother, has been in Taif, Saudi Arabia teaching that fifth grade class since October, and she gave her students Duke media guides as part of their instruction.
"It's so cool," junior Abby Waner said. "If we can have an impact on children in Saudi Arabia, I think that's incredible, just like it is here."
Mazie Black was in the Middle East in 1991 for Operation Desert Storm, and she had wanted to go back overseas ever since. When the chance to teach English to elementary students presented itself last fall, Black could not pass on the opportunity. And although she has no other family in Saudi Arabia, Black has loved the experience so far. But she has not forgotten about her star daughter at Duke and has made sure her students know all about the Blue Devils.
"She really enjoys it," Chante Black said. "My mom's always loved to travel and explore the world. She's always been into different cultures."
The teacher has had little trouble adjusting to Saudi Arabian society. Black is Muslim, so she already had some familiarity with Arabic, and she says that students there are much more disciplined than they are in the United States. As a result, they pick up new information more quickly, a trait that is obviously helpful for a teacher.
But Black's job has its downsides. She has been abroad for the Blue Devils' entire season, and she won't be back until it is over. She has kept up with the team via ACC Select, but it's difficult with the time difference-a 7:00 p.m. game comes on at 3:00 a.m. in Saudi Arabia.
"I'll get an e-mail about the games, but it's always a day later," Chante Black said. "[She used to come to my games] all the time. Even at Duke, she traveled up from Charlotte every game, so it's different not seeing her."
Her mom's absence, however, has not seemed to affect Black's play. The center, who redshirted last season with a knee injury, has established herself as one of the most dominant post players in women's basketball. Black leads the Blue Devils in minutes played, points, rebounds and blocks.
The fact that she's doing all that while her mom is 7,000 miles away makes her season even more impressive.
"She has a supporting cast," senior Wanisha Smith said. "She's fine, but I'm sure it can be really tough at times for your mom to be so far away."
"I don't know if I could handle it the same way that [Chante] has," Waner said. "She's shown incredible strength and will. I think that would be really hard because I love having my parents here, let alone just being able to talk to them right after a game."
But Black has adjusted to her unique situation to become a critical part of Duke's strategy by providing the Blue Devils with an imposing presence in the paint.
The center said adjusting to living so far away from her mom was difficult at first, but that she learned a lot about independence growing up in a single-parent home. Mazie Black always taught her daughter the importance of being able to rely on herself.
That upbringing is paying dividends now that Mazie Black is overseas for the year. And while the teacher tries to stay away from giving her daughter basketball-related advice, she is clearly interested in her success.
Black's mother will be back in Durham in time to see her graduate in May. Meanwhile, the center has her teammates to give her the immediate support that her mom can't always provide given her location.
"Chante's a very strong woman and her mom is as well, and I think an experience like that is absolutely incredible," Waner said. "But we also try and make sure that [Chante] feels like we're her family, too."
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