Duke basketball currently rests in a state of flux: the balance of power between the men's and women's basketball programs has temporarily shifted. While the men must reload, the women reign supreme. And although both teams insist there is no competition between them, if men's coach Mike Krzyzewski is not careful, Gail Goestenkors, his female counterpart, might begin to match some of his accomplishments.
Simply put, next season's women's basketball team expects to be a dominant force in the college basketball landscape. Seven players, including its six largest contributors, return from last year's eight-woman Final Four squad.
Remaining are first team All-America Alana Beard, second team all-ACC forwards Iciss Tillis and Monique Currie as well as a host of talented reserves. If that were not enough, the Blue Devils boast the nation's top-ranked recruiting class, a group that includes two 6-foot-3 centers, a lighting quick point guard and two dangerous swing players.
This year's team will be deeper, faster and more talented than any other team in the school's history. Expectations are exceedingly high, although attitudes and aspirations are matter-of-fact.
"Being ranked in the top three is a real honor," says Tillis. "But, in the end, what we want to do is win the national championship, and I think we will."
New team, new chemistry
With its incredible stockpile of talent, Duke's biggest obstacle will be to re-establish the sensational chemistry of last year's tightly-bonded group. After two December transfers, last season's Blue Devils proceeded to win 28 of their next 29 contests. They swept the ACC with a 19-0 record and marched through the East Regional before losing to Oklahoma in the national semifinals.
Goestenkors said that duplicating that team's close-knit comraderie will be essential if this year's squad plans to reach its lofty expectations.
"I think team chemistry was definitely our greatest asset last year," she said. "It is something that you can't necessarily control, but the good thing is that the five players coming in are all great people."
On some teams, an emotionally intimate core of seven returning players might be averse to immediately accepting five fresh faces. Goestenkors, though, feels confident in the ability of her returning women to embrace the Class of 2006.
"They want to have good team chemistry because they understand how important it is," she said. "I think they are very determined to make sure that they welcome the incoming freshmen."
Welcoming the freshmen is one thing. Leading them will be another.
If the Blue Devils have a question mark, it is their tremendous youth. Duke's only two seniors are Sheana Mosch and Michelle Matyasovsky, two veterans who are talented, but who will find difficulty cracking the starting lineup.
Sophomores and juniors will therefore be expected to exhibit a captain's confidence and experience.
"I think this year I need to be more of a leader, I'm at that age now," said Tillis, a junior. "Up until this year that's something I haven't really done; I wasn't even captain of my high school team when I was a senior. So, being a leader is something I have to step up and do."
A pie only so large
Further complicating the assimilation of new and old will be the finite amount of playing time available to Duke's 12 hungry women. Goestenkors will have the particularly unenviable task of trying to determine a playing rotation for her immensely talented side.
"Everybody's time is going to go down," she said. "That's just the way it's going to be. I've already [told] them that productivity needs to go up. They aren't going to have the luxury of making three, four, five mistakes because there will be somebody else."
As Beard, Currie and Tillis are almost guaranteed to play significant minutes, only two starting spots will most likely be open, forcing many to accept supporting roles off the bench.
For highly acclaimed athletes used to thriving in the spotlight, such a transition might be hard to swallow.
"I think for me [it will be hard], because I've been used to playing so much in high school," freshman Mistie Bass said. "That could be easily adjusted to, but everybody's goal is to play. I really can't change that outlook."
Fellow freshman center Brooke Smith feels the potentially negative situation can also be seen from positive angles.
"I think the best thing about it is that we are all going to make each other that much better," she said. "It will be an adjustment because we all were at places where we were the best on our teams, but it will be a good challenge."
Pushing the tempo
One way Goestenkors hopes to combat restlessness is through an extended rotation. She now has an unprecedented quantity of depth, a luxury that she intends to make much use of.
"It's going to be even more exciting because we will be able to press even more, because we are deeper," said the coach. "This year I just feel that we'll be able to extend our defense which means that we are going to run more, we are going to score more."
Featured prominently in such an aggressive scheme will likely be freshman point guard Lindsey Harding. The 5-6 Harding boasts tremendous speed and a passion for running.
"That's my strength, actually, to get the ball out and push it up the floor," Harding said. "In high school I was used to doing it all myself, but now I'll finally have people on the wings to give to who can score, so definitely that's a strong point for me."
Pretender to the throne no more
Eager to prove its national merit, Duke will play a schedule expected of a top-flight team. The two pivotal matchups will be against Tennessee and Connecticut, the perrenial powerhouses in women's collegiate basketball.
Goestenkors is particularly anticipating the battle with the Volunteers.
"That [game] potentially will be one-versus-two," Goestenkors said. "That's usually the Conneticut-Tennessee game, so for us to be involved in the one-versus-two game, which I think will happen--I think that's incredible."
The accomplishments of last season mean that Duke will enter the upcoming season as an established title contender. Teams will be ready for the Blue Devils, particularly the other eight schools in the ACC, who are facing the possibility of back-to-back white washes.
"We'll probably start the season ranked one or two, but that doesn't mean anything to us to be perfectly honest," Goestenkors said. "I think the good thing about our team is that we don't feel like we've arrived. We are constantly in pursuit.... I hope I never feel that we've arrived because then I think I might take a step back and become complacent."
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