The Blue Devils received verbal commitments last week from two players--Jasmine Thomas and Karima Christmas--bringing the team's total to three recruits for the class of 2007.
Both high school seniors will enter Duke in 2007 as highly-touted recruits who will attempt to bring home Duke's first national championship.
Thomas, who was named a second-team pre-season All-American by scout.com Monday, is a 5-foot-9 point guard from Oakton High School in Vienna, Va. Just 16 years old, she was the youngest player invited to try out for the Under-18 Women's National Team last summer.
"She's incredibly quick," said Fred Priester, her high school coach. "A lot of people can be quick without the ball, but she's quick with it. And she has incredible court vision-that's what Coach G loves."
Thomas, who has averaged 22.1 points per game, 4.3 assists per game and 4.5 steals per game during her high school career, chose Duke over Virginia, Connecticut, Louisiana State and Maryland--the team that beat the Blue Devils in overtime of last year's National Championship.
"Of all the good schools I looked at, Duke was the best academic school," Thomas said. "And I had a really good relationship with Coach G. She sent really nice letters and wouldn't bug me on the phone like other coaches. She'd just call sometimes and have great conversations, and not just about basketball, either."
Considered a smart player and one of the best points guards in her class, Thomas will bolster the back court along with sophomore Abby Waner after Lindsey Harding graduates this spring.
"She has an instinct for the game," Priester said. "She's not going to replace Lindsey Harding, but she can step into those shoes."
Joining the Blue Devils with Thomas will be Christmas, a guard-forward who has twice been named a Street and Smith All-America honorable mention in her three years playing varsity at J. Frank Dobie High School in Houston.
Also a member of her school's track team, Christmas is noted for her speed and exceptional athleticism. She plays much taller than her 5-foot-11 frame, and she enjoys driving to the basket, said her mother, Vennita Christmas.
"She has great jumping ability," Vennita Christmas said. "She gets a lot of rebounds."
Coming out of a system that features four perimeter players, Christmas could potentially play guard or forward, said her high school coach, Doug Gibson.
"She brings a lot to the table with her rebounding and speed," Gibson said. "The speed of the game picks up with her in it."
Both new recruits join Krystal Thomas, who committed last spring, as members of Duke's already-strong 2007 class. Krystal Thomas is a 6-foot-4 forward who was also named to scout.com's pre-season second team.
"She's a really big, solid post player who can also run the floor, so I love her," Jasmine Thomas said of her future teammate.
Still in Duke's sights is 6-foot-6 center Kelly Cain from Atlanta, who is yet to decide between Duke, LSU and Tennessee.
Regardless of Cain's decision, though, Krystal Thomas, Jasmine Thomas and Christmas will have two years with Abby Waner and three years with Bridgette Mitchell and Joy Cheek, who are freshmen this year.
Harding and center Alison Bales are the only seniors on this year's team.
With head coach Gail Goestenkors continuing to bring in top recruits, Duke's talent level will remain high for years to come.
"Hopefully sometime within my four years we'll win a national championship," Jasmine Thomas said.
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