All season long Sheana Mosch has worked to instill the Blue Devils with enthusiasm. Ever since moving to the bench early in the year, the senior tri-captain has been looking to make the game as fun as possible for teammates, beginning in the pregame starting lineups, where her chest bumps to every starter have become a fixture.
For awhile, however, the game was not always particularly fun for Duke, especially during its three-month reign as the undefeated No. 1 team in the country, when the Blue Devils were eking out wins against unranked opponents. Since the Feb. 1 loss to Connecticut, though, there has been a notable increase in joy within the Duke program, and in Mosch as well.
"I've started feeling pretty good the last couple of games," she said. "I've just started being more aggressive with the ball, more active on defense, and it's been nice because the ball's been bouncing my way. Sometimes you can work your butt off and it doesn't work out for you."
Although averaging eight points a game on the season, the 6-foot Mosch has found her rhythm over the past month. She has reached double-digit scoring totals in each of Duke's last five games, all against ACC competition, and averaged 14 ppg. during that span.
The Blue Devils' closest margin of victory has been 21 points during Mosch's run. With the ACC and NCAA Tournaments approaching, the nation's No. 2 team is peaking at the right time. And with her career coming to a close, Mosch has been taking time to appreciate as much as she can from Duke's preparations for a title run.
"I just can't believe it's gone by so quickly," she said. "I'm so excited to get into tournament play. It's going to be a lot of fun, and I just can't wait."
While very cognizant that the next month--unlike for most of her younger teammates--will be her last attempt at winning a national championship, Mosch nonetheless exudes a certain serenity over the pressure-filled games to come. She has come to grips with the fact that her time as a Blue Devil is running out, largely with the help of her Christian faith.
"This is something I've only gotten a grasp on the past year," she said. "[My beliefs] help me because I'm so serious about basketball--I love it to death--that before, I used to just dwell on things for days. Basketball would ruin other parts of my life. [They] help to stop worrying and just have fun."
Mosch is one of several Blue Devils with firm Christian convictions, something largely ignored in the secular world of sports media coverage.
"I definitely consider myself a very strongly religious person," she said. "I don't believe there's anything in basketball that I do by myself. I believe that in all my talents and in everything I do on the court God is helping me out in a way."
Her faith that her talents fit into the larger scheme of a divine plan has allowed Mosch to enjoy her Duke career which, despite its moments of greatness, has seen her develop into a good player-not a great one. Third-team All-ACC as a sophomore, a season that included a three-game stretch when she averaged 28.0 ppg. and saw her receive national player of the week awards, Mosch concludes her Duke career as role player.
Her leap to national stardom never came.
"My role really hasn't changed much over the years," Mosch said. "It's changed in small ways. Coach Goestenkors also expects me to play good defense, to rebound... she knows what I'm good at offensively and she lets me do it."
Yet Mosch does not appear very concerned about regrets or various what-ifs. She demonstrates the maturity one expects from a senior, and sees only positives from the upcoming tournament rush of adrenaline, an attitude emerging from her faith in God as a positive force in her life.
"I try to break it down and make things more simple," she said. "I believe I'm working out His will as long as I'm working my butt off every single day and keep a positive attitude."
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