An hour before every tip-off, Michele Matyasovsky, Duke's 6-foot-1 senior tri-captain, eats a banana and then drinks a Pepsi.
She does what?
"My mom read an article about an olympian who used to do it to get a burst of energy," a chuckling Matyasovsky said. "I tried it one game, and I ended up playing really well, so it just became superstition."
With the exception of her pregame eating rituals--she also swears by light blue Extra gum--Matyasovsky is a calm person and a devoted teammate.
"Away from basketball, I'm pretty laid back. I can be stressful at times, though. There's two different sides to me. I'm a Gemini. I have an evil twin," she said.
On the court, she prides herself on making good plays and keeping her cool under pressure.
"I love to make the smart decision," she said. "I think I'm a good motion player; I read screens really well; I move without the ball really well--I think that's my biggest strength; I'm not really a one-on-one player; I think on the court [Head Coach Gail Goestenkors] looks to me to be a calming force."
Choosing Duke over Virginia, Michele came to Durham used to being the star player back home in New Jersey, where she was Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year and a Parade All-American selection during her senior season.
"I just felt right here," the political science major said. "I love the fact there is a balance between academics and athletics. How can you not go here?"
She also came to the Blue Devils to help Goestenkors build a dynasty.
"I loved the coaching here," Matyasovsky said. "The fact that they had not won a national championship was important to me; I wanted to be part of building up a program. They had already made it to the Final Four in 1999, so I just wanted to be part of that and I knew that Coach G was an awesome coach."
After starting at guard as a freshmen, her preferred position, Matyasovsky was moved to forward for her sophomore and junior years. Now, on a team that might potentially play 12 players on any given night this season, she is counted on not to be the star, but to do many little things.
And instead of resenting her new role, Matyasovsky embraces it.
"Yeah, [my role at Duke] is pretty different," she said. "In high school you kind of are the team. My high school team was not that great. But you come here and you have so much talent [on the team] and you just kind of fill in a role, and I just do what Coach G expects me to do whether it's hitting a shot, setting a screen, taking a charge or whatever."
After Monday night's game against Premier Players in which she grabbed a key rebound, took a charge, knocked down a three pointer and caught an elbow in the eye, Matyasovsky raved about her teammates.
"Our team is doing so well right now," she said. "Everyone's starting to come together and mesh well. We have some things we need to work on, but overall the talent level is phenomenal."
Three years after coming to Duke aiming to give the school its first national championship, Matyasovsky is tantalizingly close to fulfilling that ambition. She led the Blue Devils to their second Final Four last season, and Duke is the top-ranked team in both preseason polls.
NCAA tournament success is all that matters to the senior. Indeed, defeating South Carolina in the Elite Eight last March ranks as one of great experiences.
"Beating South Carolina [is my best memory] because they danced on our court when they beat us at home," she said. "Beating them to get to the Final Four was the greatest feeling ever."
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