When the media tabbed its preseason lists for All-Atlantic Coast Conference teams, Tyish Hall was no where to be found. Virginia's Wendy Palmer was selected as preseason conference player of the year. N.C. State's Chastity Melvin was also high on the list.
So who would you suspect is the only player named ACC Player of the Week four different times? Melvin's never won the award, while Palmer's only captured it twice. The answer of course is Hall, whose play has been the talk of the league.
Hall's sophomore statistics certainly didn't merit her consideration for preseason honors. Last year she averaged only nine points and six rebounds per game, and when Duke head coach Gail Goestenkors said before this season that she expected Hall to step up her game, most media dismissed the comment as coach's rhetoric.
Hall's 1995-96 season has taught the media a lesson-the coach knows what she's talking about. The junior from Centreville, Va., has earned her honors by averaging 16.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest. She also leads the ACC and is second in the nation in field goal percentage, shooing just over 66 percent from the floor. Those impressive numbers are the reason conference coaches consider Hall the favorite for ACC Player of the Year.
"I knew she would average double figures [in points]," Goestenkors said. "That was a goal she set for herself, and when Tye is determined to do something, she's going to be successful. But I think I am surprised at the degree to which she has been successful."
Some people point to Hall spending the past summer in Durham as the main reason for her success. After all, senior Alison Day did the same thing after her sophomore year, and she finished her junior year as a first-team All-ACC player. Unlike Day's summer stay, which was mainly focused on tutorials on the court, Hall spent the summer in the classroom. An aspiring doctor major, Hall suffered through courses such as organic chemistry, which didn't leave her much time for basketball.
While she didn't concentrate on increasing her physical stature over the summer, the time in Durham did allow her to improve mentally. Last year, one of the things Hall suffered with was handling everything from schoolwork to basketball to her friends.
"If I didn't pull myself together, I wouldn't show up on the court," she said.
This summer, with a difficult course load, Hall was able to mentally come together. Accompanying the mental stability off the court was increased production on the court. The first week back she was named player of the week. Her stellar play continued through December and into the winter break.
Then came the N.C. State game in Raleigh on Jan. 4-Hall's worst game of the year. She was 2-for-10 from the floor and scored only five points in 33 minutes.
After that game, many people consoled Hall about her effort, telling her things would get better. But the kind words only made things worse, as they kept the image of the game in her mind. The next three games, Hall failed to reach double-figures in points.
"I tend to overanalyze things," she said. "I was mentally thinking about [the State game] because people were constantly saying things about it."
Those constant reminders were quieted down when Hall scored 30 points against Georgia Tech on Jan. 17. Still, Hall has yet to receive the attention that other Duke players get. Names like Kira Orr, Alison Day or Jennifer Scanlon are often more frequently associated with Duke women's basketball than Hall's. Goestenkors said the main reason for Hall's lack of attention is she doesn't score her points with a lot of flashiness.
Goestenkors said she's often glanced at the scoresheet after a game and was surprised to see Hall scored 20 points.
"It's not flashy. She's just taking care of business," Goestenkors said.
Hall said she doesn't mind not receiving as much attention as the other players. Along with Goestenkors, she considers her teammates a big reason why she's had so much success this season.
In the past, Duke has had only two strong perimeter players, allowing other teams to double-team the post players. But now with four strong three-point shooters often on the court at once, Hall is getting more single coverage, which has also translated into more media coverage after big-time performances.
"It's easier now," Hall said of accepting compliments. "Right now, when people say good things, you just smile and say thank you. I take the good feeling back with me."
The last Duke player to be named ACC Player of the Week four times was Chris Morland, and she accomplished that feat over her entire career. Morland also won the ACC Player of the Year Award in 1987. With that history, it seems as if Tye Hall better work on practicing that smile and thank you, because she may be needing it if she accepts this year's Player of the Year Award.
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