Monique Currie's game is defined by aggression. Her slashing moves to the basket inflict damage both upon herself and her opponents. Through 22 games, she has attempted 115 free throws, 31 more than any of her Duke teammates.
In stark contrast, Monique Currie's demeanor is one of utmost stoicism. The Washington, D.C., native is placid and unflappable--traits one does not often expect from an 18-year-old freshman.
"I try to be calm," Currie said. "I try not to let things bother me, or get overwhelmed or nervous. I just try to play relaxed."
Her even-keeled approach has yielded tremendous results for the Blue Devils. Though starting only nine of Duke's twenty-two contests, Currie's 15.1 per game average ranks second only to Alana Beard's 19.0.
Despite her emergence as one of Duke's top scoring threats, Currie said she does not feel any extra pressure to contribute, as she enjoys not having to feel the pressure to carry the scoring load that she did in high school.
"Throughout high school I was the number one scorer," Currie said. "It's great to be on a team where you don't have to be that. On any night anyone can be the top scorer. It just helps everyone get better, and we can all play off each other."
She attributes her quick adjustment to NCAA competition as a product of her summer experience with USA Junior World Championship team, a squad led by Currie's All-American Blue Devil teammate Beard.
"Since I played USA Basketball this summer, I got to practice with all the college players, "Currie said. "The practices were college-like, and Alana always told me that that's how it would be like when I got here, so that prepared me well."
Currie pointed to intensity of the practices of Geno Auriemma, who has won two national championships at Connecticut, to providing an atmosphere similar to what she would face under coach Gail Goestenkors.
"They are both great coaches and they both expect 100 percent out of you every day," Currie said. "Geno is a little more of an in-your-face, cold type of coach, which was fine."
As one of the most talented high school players in the nation, Currie was the focal point for her team. Yet, beginning the year as one of Duke's reserves, rather than in the starting lineup, did not phase her in the slightest.
"It wasn't tough at all," she said. "It helped me to be able to watch and see what everyone was doing, and get an idea of what the [college] game was like, so that when I got in I was ready."
Since Currie's insertion into the starting lineup, the Blue Devils have won seven straight contests, all of them against conference opposition. Currie feels that her excelling in an increasingly expanding role for the Blue Devils is a result of increased familiarity with her teammates.
"I was just getting a little more comfortable with the system and with my teammates," Currie said. "Being more relaxed [helped], and being where I could perform well. I was just more aware of the things in the college game and its different aspects."
Now that she feels properly acclimated to both her fellow Blue Devils and the atmosphere surrounding big-time collegiate athletics, Currie has focused on the setting and achieving of lofty goals, which include both individual and team-oriented aspirations.
"I know I want to win a national championship," Currie said. "It's great to see that the men have won it several times, and I just think that we have the players to achieve that goal, so that's basically the number one thing."
Like many talented collegiate athletes, Currie's ultimate desire is to play basketball at the next level. Indeed, when talking about their hunger to succeed, some athletes' eyes visibly widen; it is as if they are imagining themselves attaining that ultimate dream as they are being interviewed.
Currie, on the other hand, is not very demonstrative. Both her face and her words reflect a concentrated stoicism.
"If I could play professionally that would be great too," Currie said. "It's just a great experience for a female athlete."
As her prosaic demeanor would suggest, Duke's freshman star is clearly focused on the present, rather than the future.
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