When James 'Quick' Tillis arrived in Chicago, he said, "I put the suitcases down, and I looked up at the [Sears] Tower and I said to myself, 'I'm going to conquer Chicago!'"
Like father, like daughter.
Now, the daughter of the former heavyweight boxer is starting her senior season of Duke basketball with the same determination--but instead of the Windy City.
"With this being my last year, it would be really unacceptable if we didn't win," Tillis said. "The year before, I could kind of deal with it. Two years in a row when you keep losing the same game, it's really heartbreaking. It's my senior year and I just don't want to leave here being a loser."
Tillis is a powerhouse. After being invited to play for the USA Pan American team this summer, she proved her abilities to the world, registering five points 2.4 rebounds per game, as the team won the silver medal.
The All-ACC First-Teamer is now preparing to start what is shaping up to be the Blue Devils' most intense season ever.
At 6-foot-5, Tillis is a threat from anywhere on the court. She enters her final season having scored 535 points last year--the sixth-highest total in school history--and has recorded 104 three-point field goals over three years at Duke. Last year's ACC Tournament MVP, Tillis has posted 22 double-doubles and has 66 games with double figures over her career.
"She is a player that truly has no position," head coach Gail Goestenkors said at the end of last season. "Iciss has a versatile body, is one of our best three-point shooters and is a great passer. We have played her on the wing and in the post, which has helped us as a team, because it allows us to take advantage of the mismatches she makes with her opponents."
With the much-improved efforts of Mistie Bass and the arrival of freshmen Brittany Hunter and Alison Bales, Tillis will have many more opportunities this season to demonstrate that versatility. Bass averaged 6.9 points and 3.7 rebounds last year, and has worked on getting in shape over the summer; Hunter is the only other player on the women's basketball team besides Tillis to threaten to slam down a dunk or two during the season. And the sense of security comes as a great relief.
"In the past, I've kind of had to carry the load in the post, and now we have Brittany, who's tremendous in the post, and Mistie, she's worked on her game this summer a lot," Tillis said. "We always look to the inside now to get the ball. I don't think the numbers are going to be strong. I dont think Alana will average 25 and I'll average 17, I think it will be more spread out because everyone can score now."
Indeed, Bass affirmed Tillis' analysis.
"One post can't do everything," Bass said. "You need a bunch of post players making a big contribution to the team, and I think this year that is the difference."
Tillis rounds out the team this year as an intricate part of Goestenkors' gameplan. Her mismatch presence in the backcourt is obviously a factor, but her defensive skill will be essential to the team's success this season. Last year, Tillis collected 14 rebounds in three consecutive games and she now ranks third on Duke's career charts for blocked shots with 108.
"Defense is always a big thing for us," Tillis said. "All of Coach G's drills somehow are either defensive or rebounding. That's going to really be the emphasis for us this year is rebounding. We know what we can do defensively, we know that we can score, but now we to show people we can rebound offensively and defensively."
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