As the college basketball season looms, it's finally time for the Blue Zone to preview the 2022-23 Duke women's basketball roster. We previously looked at Bo Shaffer, Emma Schmidt, Jiselle Havas, Lee Volker, Imani Lewis, Emma Koabel and Vanessa de Jesus. Up Next is Mia Heide:
Mia Heide
Year: Graduate student
Height: 6-foot-3
Position: Forward
Last year’s statline: 25.1 MPG, 8.6 PPG, 5.9 RPG
Game breakdown: Heide’s greatest strength on the court is her ability to snatch rebounds from right underneath the net—her height comes in handy to find the ball when it slips off the rim. The forward is always quick to set picks for her teammates; much of her success in her undergraduate career at Tulane was the result of her team-first playing style. Though Heide is tall and usually well-positioned on the court, her defense is cautious and sometimes lacks the aggression to stop a jumper from her opponent. The Austin, Texas, native compensates for her weaknesses, however, with her impressive shot percentage: Heide is always quick to sink a box shot, having maintained a field goal percentage above 50% in each of her last two seasons with the Green Wave.
Role on the team: After a four-year career as a collegiate forward—during which she started nearly every game since her sophomore season—Heide will be comfortable on the court for Duke. She has plenty of in-game experience, likely landing her the role of mentor for some of the younger Blue Devils. The 22-year-old is also bringing her developing defensive skillset to Durham. As one of Duke’s tallest players, after averaging just below 6 boards per game in each of her last three seasons, Heide should prove to be a rebounding asset for head coach Kara Lawson and the Blue Devils.
Projected stats: 5.0 MPG, 2.8 PPG, 2.6 RPG
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Sophie Levenson is a Trinity junior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.