Duke women's basketball 2016-17 player preview: Haley Gorecki

Haley Gorecki

• Year: Sophomore
• Height: 6-foot
• Position: Guard
• Last year’s statline: 4.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 1.1 APG, 1.1 SPG

Game Breakdown: Gorecki is a versatile guard who played a number of different positions in just 14 games as a freshman. A talented shooter, she starred for the Blue Devils during their Thanksgiving trip to Cancun, Mexico, last year, going 7-for-13 from beyond the arc in three games, but Gorecki averaged just 16.2 minutes per game before going down with a hip injury in early January.

The 6-foot shooting guard was inconsistent when she was on the floor, shooting 1-for-23 from 3-point range away from Cancun and averaging 1.8 turnovers per game as the she adjusted to the speed of the college game.

Role on the Team: Gorecki suffered a setback while recovering from her hip injury during the offseason and will likely be out until December, but when she returns, she is likely to have a more defined role on the wing this year. With All-American Lexie Brown handling the ball and preseason All-ACC guard Rebecca Greenwell as the primary shooting threat for Duke, Gorecki will likely come off the bench as part of a deep guard rotation that also includes fellow sophomores Kyra Lambert, Faith Suggs and Crystal Primm.

Gorecki will need time to shake off the rust when she returns after being out for almost a year, but expect the Palatine, Ill., native to redevelop her smooth shooting stroke from long range. If Gorecki can prove to be a dependable 3-point shooting option for the Blue Devils, head coach Joanne P. McCallie will rely on the sophomore to spell Greenwell, who played an average of nearly 34 minutes per game last season.

Projected stats: 7.0 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 2.2 APG, 33 percent shooting from 3-point range

Stay tuned with the Blue Zone for our continuing player previews with sophomore Faith Suggs tomorrow. Previous players previewed include Leaonna Odom.

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