By the end of the weekend, women's basketball players Michele Matyasovsky and Sheana Mosch might very well be standing alone.
They will not be standing alone because their teammates dislike them. Nor because of Matyasovsky's height--she stands 6-foot-1--or because of Matyasovsky's fondness for dancing in the team huddle.
It will be because, if all goes well for No. 2 Duke in this weekend's upcoming ACC tournament, Matyasovsky, along with classmate and fellow tri-captain Mosch, will become the only women's player in conference history to win four straight league titles in a row.
And oddly enough, standing out, especially for her own interests, is the opposite of what Matyasovsky has become known for during her career. Instead, what Blue Devil fans have come to expect is quiet but steady production from a player willing to do whatever it takes to help the team.
Coming to Duke, Matyasovsky possessed the same basketball pedigree as most of her teammates. She was New Jersey player of the year out of Triton High School and was the star of her high school and AAU teams.
But her role at college has changed, as she has had to evolve from star player to role player. And in a situation where she could have complained or resented the coaching staff. Matyasovsky did the opposite, finding her niche and contributing as much as possible.
"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 [Duke head] Coach [Gail] Goestenkors expects me to do, whether it's hitting a shot, setting a screen, taking a charge or whatever," Matyasovsky said.
Although she has started every game this year and the last 15 games of last season-which included Duke's run to the Final Four-Matyasovsky has done the bulk of her damage with as little notice as possible, particularly for a player on the only team in the country to be ranked in the top five the entire season.
Matyasovsky, whose playing style can best be described as controlled and team-oriented, has again been one of the most consistent players for Goestenkors in 2002-03, averaging 5.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
That is to say nothing of the Sumerdale, N.J. native's contributions off the court, however. Matyasovsky, in addition to her volunteer work at a local hospital, has kept a monthly online diary for goduke.com this season, documenting the team's progress along the way.
And that selfless attitude has clearly made a vivid impression on Goestenkors.
"They have meant more than words can say," Goestenkors said in response to a question about her two seniors, Matyasovsky and Mosch, who has also had a very similar evolution and role on the team as Matyasovsky.
"They are excellent students. They are excellent ambassadors for women's basketball and for Duke University. The things they do off court that I think nobody knows about would stun some people, [like] going to the hospital and meeting with the kids who are sick. You would be proud to have them for your daughters. I am very proud of them."
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