Rebecca Greenwell
The statline
Thursday vs. Florida State: 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting, two assists, and nine rebounds
Sunday vs. Georgia Tech: 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting, two assists and five rebounds.
The good: With forward Azurá Stevens out with an injury, Greenwell’s offensive prowess has been vital to the Blue Devils’ ability to compete in the ACC. The Owensboro, Ky., native started slow against Virginia Tech, making just one of their first five shots from the field, but she played a pivotal role down the stretch to help her team gut out a much needed win. Greenwell’s back-to-back 50 percent shooting performances also mark a return to form after short shooting slump that began against Miami two weeks ago.
The shooting guard has also come up big for her team on the rebounding front, averaging 6.8 rebounds per game since Stevens’ absence. Greenwell’s 14 combined rebounds in her past two games puts her as the second most productive Duke player on the boards, behind only junior Oderah Chidom.
The bad: Greenwell has still struggled along with the rest of the Blue Devils in terms of keeping the ball safe. Turnovers proved to be a deciding factor in Duke’s game against Georgia Tech in which the Blue Devils doubled the Yellow Jackets’ in giveaways 22-11. In that game, Greenwell coughed up the ball six times in 37 minutes of floor time.
Turnovers have plagued Duke all year long and Greenwell is a primary ball handler for her team, so a certain amount of error is expected. But with a depleted bench and Stevens out indefinitely, turnovers are mistakes that the Blue Devils just cannot afford to make. Greenwell and the remainder of Duke’s guards will need to improve their ball protection moving forward to ensure the team fairs well in the ACC tournament and puts itself in contention for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
The bottom line: With Stevens out, Greenwell is the best player in a Duke jersey on the floor—plain and simple. Greenwell’s ability to put forth a complete offensive performace—combining scoring, rebounding and distributing to open teammates—any given night is a godsend to these shorthanded Blue Devils. There are just not that many players in the country who can do what Greenwell can do, and Duke needs her to be at her best moving forward.
Honorable mention: Junior Oderah Chidom had a monster game against Virginia Tech, finishing with a team-high 16 points and game-high 11 rebounds. The Oakland, Calif., native also contributed four assists, three blocks and a steal to make a strong argument for player of the week.
But Chidom was unable to repeat her performance against Georgia Tech, managing just seven points and six rebounds in 28 minutes on the floor. The forward's uptick in scoring and effort plays of late signals good things for Duke going forward as the team needs to find an interior presence without Stevens at the helm.
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