The story from Seattle-out with Shawn Kemp, in with Kira Orr.
Former Duke women's basketball star Kira Orr landed herself a roster spot with the ABL's Seattle Reign on Monday as the 5-foot-6 point guard won out for the eleventh and final spot on the team for the upcoming season.
Orr beat out fellow rookie Charmin Smith, a 5-foot-10 guard from Stanford and veteran Debbie Osburn, a 1994 graduate of Oregon. The selection was made by Reign coach Jacquie Hullah and general manager Jim Weyermann. It marked the finalization of the Reign's opening day roster.
"It was our feeling that Kira provided us a different dimension to combinations we could put on the floor," Hullah said. "Our post play is outstanding with the players we already had signed, so Debbie Osburn probably faced the stiffest competition for a spot on our roster.
"When we evaluated Charmin Smith and Kira Orr, the choice became a difficult one. Our decision came down to a feeling that Charmin reinforced what we already had in our guards, giving us great depth, but that Kira gave us an additional dimension that we don't have if she's not on our roster."
Orr brings impressive credentials to Seattle. She was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference All-Tournament Team each of her last three years and holds the Blue Devils' all-time assist record with 445. She was Duke's leader in assists her sophomore and junior years and the leader in steals each of the past three years.
After moving to shooting guard for her senior year, Orr became the Blue Devils' leading scorer on the season. She was the 10th player at Duke to score more than 1,000 career points, finishing with 1,388.
During Orr's career, the Blue Devils accumulated an 83-38 record and three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
"We had three outstanding players to choose from for our final roster spot," Weyermann said. "After two exhibition games, it was our view that we needed additional support in our guard positions. We're obviously happy with what Kira will be able to contribute in that regard."
The Reign has three more exhibition games before opening the regular season Oct. 15 at San Jose. The season runs through mid-February.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.