Since National Player of the Year Christian Laettner graduated from Duke in 1992, a new standard for prototypical Duke basketball players was born. Laettner and the versatile players that followed��Grant Hill, Mike Dunleavy, and others--were marked by multi-faceted styles of play that made them practically indefensible. Women's basketball head coach Gail Goestenkors has recruited and coached similar all-around talents in Georgia Schweitzer and current star Alana Beard.
In freshman phenom Brooke Smith, Goestenkors has found another similarly protean star. A 6-foot-3 center out of Marin Catholic High School in San Anselmo, Calif., Smith is as versatile as Goestenkors is intense.
Rick Demartini, Smith's high school basketball coach, relished the opportunity of developing and benefiting from Smith's myriad talents for four years.
"She could score, she was a great defender and a phenomenal shot blocker," Demartini said. "She passes the ball better than I've ever seen a post player pass--she led my team in assists last year."
Smith was the standout on a team that started four future Division I scholarship players and won the school's first ever state championship in 2002. In her four-year career as a Wildcat she registered 71 double-doubles en route to leading Marin Catholic to a 110-19 overall mark. She holds school records in every conceivable category, including career points (1,760), rebounds (1,479), blocks (464) and steals (410). Her leadership skills and amicability are equally impressive.
"Everybody looked up to her and everything kind of focused through Brooke," Demartini said. "She elevated our team play and she pushed us to be at our best all the time."
That Smith was honored as a High School Hero by Girl's Basketball Magazine��a nomination she received from Marin Catholic teammate, Nickie Warren--is indicative of the impact Smith had on her teammates and community.
"She is a great scoring threat under the basket, but is also an unbelievable passer and runs the floor unbelievably well," Warren told Girls Basketball Magazine. "She is a hero to many in this county of Marin and in the Bay Area. She has also been a great inspiration to myself and to the team."
Smith, who averaged 15.1 points and 11.1 rebounds as a senior, was named a high school All-American by both USA Today and Parade Magazine. A 13-point, seven-rebound and two-assist performance in the inaugural women's McDonald's All-America game punctuated her prep career this past summer. Such honors helped to rank her as the seventh-best prospect in the class of 2002. With all of this attention, Smith was recruited by just about every college in the country.
An excellent student--she graduated with a 4.0 GPA and a 1,270 on her SAT--Smith limited her college search to schools with an prominent academic and athletic programs.
"At some point in my life, basketball will be over," Smith said. "I need an education, too, and at Duke I can get the best of both worlds on and off the court."
She narrowed her college choice to Duke and hometown favorite Stanford before opting for the Blue Devils. Smith's decision may have disappointed friends and family in California, but as Demartini explains, her happiness and well-being is all that her fans really care about.
"I obviously would have loved to have her next to us [in California], and I could take my kids to go watch her play at Stanford," Demartini said. "Both schools are so strong academically and athletically. But I'm very happy that she chose Duke. It was a no-lose situation there."
Women's basketball experts concur, as the consensus is that Smith will have an immediate impact on the Blue Devils. Her only weakness, according to All-Star Girls Report guru Bret McCormick, is her lack of strength.
Smith is well aware of this shortcoming, and has been working hard to eliminate it.
"I'm working on getting my strength up, getting in the weight room," she said. "I'm more of a post player now."
Her post skills are indeed superlative. An ambidextrous player who moves to the left as aptly as she does to the right, Smith is an important cog in what is arguably the strongest recruiting class ever assembled by Goestenkors. This group is expected to play a crucial role for a Duke team that returns its starting five and that finished 31-4 in 2002, won the ACC regular season and tournament championships, and advanced to the NCAA Final Four.
Additionally, Duke boasts three legitimate All-America candidates in juniors Alana Beard and Iciss Tillis and sophomore Monique Curry.
With all of this talent, the Blue Devils have generated a lot of buzz in the world of college basketball. Duke has been ranked as the preseason No. 1 team by Athlon Sports and Slam Magazine. With such an abundance of talent, Smith is well aware that there will be a significant adjustment from high school to college.
"It's a tough transition," she said. "It's a lot faster and stronger; everyone plays a lot harder. It's coming along, though."
Women's Basketball Magazine agrees, recently projecting Smith as one of the top-10 impact freshman for the upcoming season.
The publication cited the potency of her combination of guard-like qualities in a center's body as its main reason for acknowledging Smith alongside the nation's other top recruits. Goestenkors, of course, anticipated the importance of Smith's versatility in a Duke program whose foundation is well-rounded, fast-paced basketball.
Smith just can't wait to get started.
"The whole thing's going to be really exciting," she said. "It's like a dream."
Catherine Sullivan contributed to this story.
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