Duke women’s basketball head coach Joanne P. McCallie is cashing in on her west coast connections.
The Blue Devils picked up another top player in the class of 2013 Sunday when Oderah Chidom, the No. 10 recruit according to ESPN, committed after her official visit to campus for Countdown to Craziness. Chidom plays for the California Storm, the former team of Duke junior guard Chelsea Gray.
Gray is a revered basketball player in the area and often comes back to visit practice, Storm head coach George Quintero said.
“When these girls were growing up, Chelsea was terrorizing northern California,” he said. Chidom, a 6-foot-3 forward, was between Duke and a list of schools exclusively based on the west coast: California, UCLA, Stanford and Washington.
Between the recruitment of Gray and other players, McCallie has developed a strong relatoinship with Quintero, who said that he and the Blue Devil coach have spoken at least once a week for some time now.
“I trust her, and she does a tremendous job. I feel comfortable reccomending that parents build a relationship with her,” Quintero said. “It’s a business relationship, but she’s a friend too.”
Chidom plays forward but possesses the athleticism to run the floor and defend perimeter players, Quintero said, adding that he believes she is only beginning to reach her potential.
She joins Rebecca Greenwell and Kianna Holland, ranked No. 6 and No. 32, respectively, in McCallie’s recruiting class. Greenwell committed last week after her official visit to campus.
Chidom was one of four players visiting Durham this weekend for Countdown to Craziness, where she was joined by Holland and class of 2014 prospects Brianna Turner and Azura Stevens.
For now, though, McCallie’s sights are still set westward on one of Chidom’s 2013 teammates with the Storm—Kendall Cooper, the No. 12 recruit.
“Oderah, Kendall and Chelsea are close friends. Hopefully that helps,” Quintero said. “It’s going to be UCLA or Duke.”
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