Almost any basketball coach will tell you that players improve more from summer workouts than from any other method. Sophomore Mistie Bass would like to prove this theory true in the 2003-2004 season.
Checking in this fall with a much trimmer and athletic frame to compliment her 6-foot-3 height, Bass stayed in Durham all summer to work on her game. Bass was initially hesitant to go through the strenuous workouts because the many injuries she encountered last season. She felt that a summer of rest may have been better than anything she could do for herself. But, in the end, Bass feels all the hard work has paid off.
"I've had so many injuries, I was thinking this summer was not worth it because of the injuries, but now that I'm starting to play I can see much more improvement from last year," Bass said.
Bass will try to maintain the highs and reduce the lows of her roller-coaster freshman season. A first-team All-ACC Freshman team selection, at times Bass was dominant--she notched 19 points and seven rebounds against Howard--but at other moments she was non-existant. She proved she could play big in big games--she scored a crucial 10-straight points in Duke's 66-63 win over Georgia in the Sweet 16--but she could not find success with any sort of consistency. Head coach Gail Goestenkors feels the drastic changes in level of play from game to game will improve for Bass in her second season with the program.
"Mistie Bass gained so much experience last year and came back a much better player," Goestenkors said.
Bass' improvements should lead to a dominating inside prescense for the Blue Devils, as the perrenial ACC champions finally have enough firepower in the post to balance out the brilliant guard play that Duke has been known for in recent years. In addition to All-ACC first-team member Iciss Tillis and Bass, freshmen Brittany Hunter and Alison Bales should allow Duke to dominate the interior game against almost any team in the country.
"I feel like our post game is going to be really strong this year," Tillis said. "I don't think there's a discrepancy between guard play and post play. We always look to the inside now to get the ball. I think you'll really see a balanced scoring attack inside and outside."
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