Lindsey Harding spent five years at Duke, but her legacy will remain in the rafters of Cameron for much longer.
Harding's No. 10 will be retired this year, athletics officials announced earlier this month. She is just the second women's player to earn that honor, after Alana Beard's No. 20 was retired in 2005.
"Coming into this last season, my main goal was to win a championship and be National Player of the Year," Harding said. "I never really thought of getting my jersey retired. Now that I've accomplished that, it's the ultimate goal. It beats out any National Player of the Year or any award, because that's going to be in the rafters forever."
At Duke, a player must be a National Player of the Year and graduate for the retirement of her number to be considered. Harding earned numerous NPOY honors, including Naismith Player of the Year and ESPN Player of the Year. She graduated with a degree in sociology in May.
After Harding's senior season, in which she led Duke to a 32-2 record and averaged 13.6 points and four assists per game, former head coach Gail Goestenkors began the nomination process, and it accelerated when she earned the plethora of NPOY nods.
Harding was suspended for her junior season for a still-undisclosed violation of team rules, which put the retirement in question. But, ultimately, that punishment did not affect the final decision, Director of Athletics Joe Alleva said.
Newly-hired head coach Joanne P. McCallie has not met Harding, yet she was still thrilled with the school's decision.
"I think she's a remarkable person that has done a lot of great, wonderful things," McCallie said. "I always think that players never really get that retirement until ten years or so down the line. It's a long term thing to understand the significance. I'm thrilled for her. I'm obviously a big fan, and I look forward to meeting her someday."
The date of the retirement ceremony has not yet been set. In a July WNBA game, Harding suffered a torn ACL and underwent successful surgery last week in Durham. She plans on rehabilitating in Minnesota and might play overseas next winter if she can recover in time. The exact date of the ceremony depends on her schedule.
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