Emily Waner was unhappy.
Her parents knew it. Her sister knew it. But she didn't.
After all, it appeared she had no reason not to be jubilant. Her home court at the University of Colorado was just an hour's drive from her house. As a true freshman, she was averaging 25 minutes and just more than seven points per game. She was a two-time Big 12 Rookie of the Week.
It wasn't until she was outside of her comfort zone, in New Orleans for the 2004 Final Four, that Emily realized she needed a change.
There was a ceiling hanging over Emily, and her head was finally beginning to break through that barrier. What she saw outside of her Colorado bubble was enlightening and ultimately, life-changing. She wanted a national championship, and she-albeit painfully and slowly-realized she had to leave Colorado to grasp her goal.
"It took a lot of help from my parents to see that I was really unhappy there," Emily said. "It was once the season was over that I got away and got a look back at what happened and realized it wasn't the happiest situation for me."
Her sister, Abby, has a slightly different recollection. Abby said simply attending the Final Four made Emily realize she likely would never reach such a championship event at Colorado.
"Being at the Final Four, I think she saw it for herself, and it kind of clicked-thinking, 'Maybe I should consider transferring,'" Abby said.
And so began Emily's second recruiting journey. This time, though, there was a twist-instead of having schools mail her letters and flood her cell phone with text messages, Emily was the one who handpicked a certain number of schools and pursued them on her own. She wasn't alone, either. Abby, who would later be named the Gatorade and McDonald's National Player of the Year, was also being courted by the top programs in the country.
They embarked on the recruiting process together, and their father, Tim, had one question for each coach-would he or she take one sister and not the other? The correct answer, in the eyes of the Waner family, was a resounding yes.
"It was more putting trust in the coaches and believing what they were saying," Abby said. "I think each would have taken Emily without me. It was more hypothetical."
So Emily and Abby pledged their allegiance to Duke head coach Gail Goestenkors, but only Emily moved into her West Campus dorm room that year, as Abby was still a senior in high school. The sisters committed to college together, but now Emily was alone in a foreign state. She couldn't even find solace on the court, as she had to sit out from games for a year due to NCAA transfer rules.
During this time, Emily grew up.
"I'm in a completely different environment," Emily said. "I came here knowing nobody because Abby wasn't here yet, and it was scary at first, but it also taught me how to branch out and learn how to be on my own."
The next year, Abby came to Duke and played major minutes from day one. Emily, however, played sparingly, averaging just 8.8 minutes per game. It was the first time in her life she wasn't hogging minutes.
But Emily remembered the end-game the entire season. She so desperately wanted that national championship, and she quickly understood that there were ways to contribute to the team other than draining threes and dishing assists.
"There's a lot of stuff that goes on behind the court, as far as team-building and keeping the team all together," Emily said. "People that aren't playing aren't necessarily in the happiest situation. So I keep a positive attitude. If they're going to have the spot ahead of you, you want to make them work for it, and that's your responsibility in practice."
The girl who was so unhappy with basketball in Colorado was now the glue holding Duke together. She had reprised her role as the team player.
Even though her minutes didn't show it-as the Blue Devils' rotation became rigid as the season progressed-Emily's basketball also improved immeasurably.
"Last year, during the Final Four, she practiced the best out of anybody," said Abby, who also emerged during Duke's run to the national championship game. "She was unstoppable for a month, almost two months-she practiced incredibly."
Emily's renewed confidence undoubtedly carried over to her junior season. This year, she is averaging 17.7 minutes per game, the most of any non-starter. But it took 44 games in a Duke uniform for Emily to truly make her presence known.
On Dec. 10, in a game against then-No. 22 Texas, Emily beat her defender three times for three easy layups, showcasing a complete game not totally dependent on her three-point shooting.
In addition, the nature of her game and her psyche have both changed dramatically.
"She's more care-free. She's not thinking about things as much," Abby said. "She's the same off the court, but on the court, she's more carefree and playing with swagger now."
Emily has at least one fan in her coach.
"She's one, because of her personality, that you cheer for," Goestenkors said. "As a coach, you want so much for her to be successful because you feel like she deserves it. I'm so happy for her because she's given up so much, she's worked so hard, and she's stayed positive through it."
Her growth would be a nice story in itself, but for Emily, and for the sake of poetic justice, this story can only rightfully end in the same place it began-at the Final Four.
Except this time around, she hopes she will be standing right next to her sister, holding a trophy high over her head, in the exact place where that constrictive ceiling used to lurk.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.