Ahead of Duke's annual Blue-White scrimmage Sunday at 2 p.m., The Chronicle's Riley Pfaff breaks down five things to keep an eye on when the Blue Devils take the court. Duke missed the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1994 last season but hopes it can rally around a strong backcourt to contend again in the ACC.
Multiple point guards
Duke will likely utilize a starting rotation or key lineup featuring multiple point guards this season, with sophomore Kyra Lambert and junior transfer Lexie Brown joining Rebecca Greenwell in a three-guard lineup. Brown is expected to take care of the main ball-handling responsibilities and will likely often bring the ball up the court, though it will be interesting to see how the team operates with multiple skilled perimeter players after Lambert was largely tasked with running plays from the point last season.
The Blue Devils are hoping the three-guard lineup will help keep them flexible on the court, as each player can bring the ball up the court and limit the turnovers that have plagued head coach Joanne P. McCallie's team so often in the past.
New faces
This year, Duke welcomes two new faces who figure to see a lot of time on the court—Brown and freshman Leaonna Odom. Brown sat out last season after averaging 13.3 points and 4.5 assists per game her sophomore season at Maryland en route to first-team All-Big Ten and All-American honors. Her versatility at the guard position, as well as her ability to knock down 3-pointers, will be crucial additions for a Duke team that has struggled with backcourt depth in recent years.
Odom will provide versatility as well, and McCallie said at the Blue Devils' media day Thursday that the five-star recruit should see time at both forward spots. At 6-foot-2, the Lompoc, Calif., should offer another option for Duke that can attack defenses off the dribble, but Odom's comfort level early on could determine how much playing time she sees early in the season.
Sophomore class
Although Brown and Odom will be under the microscope Sunday, the sophomore class has an opportunity to build off of a solid season last year and provide both frontcourt and backcourt depth. Lambert shouldered much of the burden at point guard last year, but classmates Faith Suggs, Haley Gorecki and Crystal Primm all saw major minutes at the shooting guard and small forward spots before Gorecki missed the end of the year due to injury. If the quartet can space the floor and provide depth in the backcourt, the Blue Devils will be very dangerous despite losing star forward Azurá Stevens, who transferred to Connecticut.
Frontcourt seniors
The Blue Devils look forward to having their only two seniors, Oderah Chidom and Kendall Cooper, back on the court at the same time after Cooper missed the second half of last season. The duo will serve as the bulk of Duke’s frontcourt strength without Stevens, as Chidom returns after posting the third-most points per game and the second-most rebounds per game last year.
Before Cooper’s season was cut short, she averaged 3.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, but the Carson, Calif., native posted 13 blocks through 11 games and has established herself as an imposing defensive presence. Whether or not the post duo can anchor Duke down low and stay out of foul trouble will be another factor to watch as the season unfolds.
Replacing Stevens and Salvadores
During the offseason, Duke was hit with some unfortunate news, as both Stevens and guard Angela Salvadores decided to leave the program—Salvadores elected to skip her last three years of school and play professionally in Spain. Replacing them will be a major key for the team this year, as the two combined to average nearly 30 points per game between them last season and were mainstays on both the offensive and defensive end of the floor.
Much of this responsibility will fall to Brown, who brings a similar playmaking ability to the court as Salvadores, and Chidom and Cooper, who will be called on to fill Stevens’ role in the paint. Particularly without a dominant low-post presence like Stevens, the Blue Devils could display a more free-flowing offense starting Sunday, but only if their returning players step up.
Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that Sunday's scrimmage starts at 1 p.m. The Chronicle regrets the error.
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