Michele VanGorp is in a different world now.
The Duke graduate learned that in a hurry when last Saturday she stepped onto the floor of Madison Square Garden for her first exhibition game with the New York Liberty. She looked around and saw the 13,690 fans that had flocked to see New York take on two-time defending champions Houston.
Thirteen thousand for an exhibition? That was more than a little surprising for the All-American center.
"I was very surprised to see that many people," VanGorp said. "I was really happy about it though. This is a big part of the New York community. The support is there and it's obviously a big issue for this whole city. It's just a great place to be."
VanGorp never visited New York before being drafted. She arrived in the Big Apple two weeks ago for Liberty Media Day and then her first practice with the team. That weekend she traveled to Durham for graduation but was back in New York on Monday.
And although she's spent just over a week's time with the Liberty, VanGorp can already she the biggest difference between college ball and the pros.
"There's just a lot more media, which is definitely good for the sport," VanGorp said. "In college, women's basketball and a lot of other sports don't get a whole lot of attention. There's men's football and men's basketball, and everyone else is kind of out in the dirt."
VanGorp was selected in the second round of May 4th's draft and was the 18th player taken overall. The draft was loaded with players from the defunct ABL, and VanGorp was just the second college player taken, behind No. 1 overall pick Chamique Holdsclaw.
Before the draft, VanGorp had heard her name mentioned anywhere from the first to the fourth round. Both New York and Charlotte expressed considerable interest, but it was the Liberty who moved first.
"She is young, enthusiastic, talented and has good hands, and you can't grow size," said first year Liberty coach Richie Adubato to the Herald-Sun of Durham on the night of the draft. "She has a lot of tools, and it is not like we have to throw her right into the fire.... All we need from her is the desire, and we will give her the playing time to develop."
On the court, VanGorp has had to deal with all the adjustments typical of a rookie season. She likes her teammates a lot, and so far, she says, she's doing okay.
"It's a lot more physical [than in college]," VanGorp said. "There's a new system, new teammates and I'm just trying to get used to everything. We're trying to find ourselves as a team.... We're more athletic than we were at Duke. We're not so much a shooting team, and more of an attacking team."
VanGorp joins a Liberty frontcourt that is already rich in talent. Centers Rebecca Lobo and Kym Hampton averaged a combined 20.8 points and 12.9 rebounds per game.
"I think it will be great," said VanGorp of playing with such a strong frontcourt. "They have both been real helpful talking me through things and helping me with the adjustments. I think both [of them] are going to be great assets to have as mentors."
But playing with such a talented frontcourt may make it difficult to see much playing time. Lobo is one of the league's top spokesmen and the most popular player on the Liberty. But Hampton is 36 years old, so eventually VanGorp may be expected to replace her mentor.
"I don't know [about playing time], it will probably depend on game situations," VanGorp said. "I'm here to learn first and foremost. It's going to take a little bit of patience on my part to break into my own. You never know when that will happen."
And as for New York fans and media that tend to jump on athletes as soon as they make a mistake? VanGorp isn't too worried.
"As long as you go out there and do what you're supposed to be doing, the fans will be okay," she said. "The fans are paying to see you play, and they pay a lot of money to see you play, and if you don't perform, I think they have a right to be unhappy. If you went out and bought a computer, paid good money for it, and then it didn't run the way it's supposed to, I think you'd be pretty pissed too."
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