Not unlike many Duke upperclassmen, senior Jasmine Thomas has spent her summer interning in her future career field.
However, while many Duke students have migrated to the financial sector of New York or the political hotbed of Washington, Thomas has found her niche in the marketing department of the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, as she pursues a future career playing professional basketball.
While sorting faxes and making copies may not seem to translate well into court skills for the Blue Devils’ leading scorer, the rising senior has gained perspective from her summer experience.
“Being on the opposite side of it and seeing all the things that go into it made me really appreciate playing,” Thomas said. “And let me know that I can definitely do that and that’s something I can strive towards.”
The Mystics provide an excellent example for her to follow. As well as being Thomas’ hometown club, the team boasts three Duke alums in Alana Beard, Monique Currie and Lindsey Harding.
“They’re always joking with me and making fun of me,” Thomas said. “It’s weird to see a Duke basketball player on the business side of it, but it’s cool seeing them and being around. They’re always willing to help me if I need anything [when] trying to get to the next level.”
Thomas noted that playing in the high-profile Blue Devil program provides preparation for the off-court expectations of the WNBA. With a recent emphasis on community service, the WNBA has worked lately to ensure its athletes give back to their communities.
At Duke, the emphasis on community-oriented experience has been very much the same.
“[Sports Information Director Lindy Brown] always has us involved in doing interviews and doing community activities,” Thomas said. “He’s always trying to promote that and show that we’re involved in other things besides basketball and that’s really big in the WNBA—showing that they’re very community-oriented and family-oriented.”
While Thomas has learned much about the professional game, she has had one thing nagging at her all summer.
“I’m coming back to Duke for second session now,” Thomas said. “I was going to be in [Washington] D.C. all summer but I can’t fight the anxiousness that I have to get back and start working out.”
Thomas has good reason to be excited for the upcoming season. The defending ACC champion Blue Devils return three of their top five scorers from last season, including Thomas, and bring in a top recruiting class that features three McDonald’s All-Americans.
Duke loses three seniors who all averaged more than 20 minutes a game, but Thomas is confident that turnover will improve the squad for the upcoming season.
“Any year the team has a different look,” Thomas said. “People get better, you get new players and I think just losing our three seniors, losing some rebounding, some good defense and some scoring... just opens up new opportunities for other players who have been waiting. Our freshmen class coming in, we’re getting five girls who are just great, who have done great things in high school and already can’t wait to get to Duke and start working out and start their college careers.”
The Blue Devils should have plenty of weapons to share the scoring load with Thomas, who led the way last season with a team-leading 16 points per game to go along with 146 total assists, nearly 30 percent of the team’s total.
After averaging 9.6 points per game in her junior campaign, Karima Christmas has established herself as a strong scoring option. Rising sophomore Allison Vernerey could be poised for a breakout year after showing flashes of brilliance in the post during the 2009-10 campaign.
Add in the stellar recruiting class and the Blue Devils seem to be in prime position for a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. Duke’s season came to a disappointing halt this past spring as Brittney Griner and Baylor squeaked past the Blue Devils in the NCAA Regional Final in Memphis. But with a fresh start and an injection of new talent, Thomas sees potential for this year to be different.
“I just think we have to stay focused,” Thomas said. “We have to know that we are just as capable of doing what we did last year and even more.... That’s definitely something we’re striving to do this year—make it to the Final Four again.”
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