Duke opened its season with the annual Blue/White scrimmage Sunday afternoon at Cameron Indoor Stadium, returning to the court for the first time since its heartbreaking loss to Baylor in last year’s Elite Eight.
Those in attendance saw a much different squad than the one that lost last March, though, as the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class scored 73 of the team’s 112 total points. Parade Magazine Player of the Year Chelsea Gray, along with four other freshmen, also showed Sunday that Duke could have one of its deepest teams in recent memory.
“I feel really good about our potential depth,” head coach Joanne McCallie said. “I think nine and ten deep is a very critical thing we’ll have.”
Preseason injuries to Allison Vernerey and Janeé Johnson left the Blue Devils shorthanded, so the male practice squad stepped in and provided some depth on the Blue team for the first three quarters. The final quarter pitted the practice squad against the women’s team in its entirety, similar to the format of last year’s Blue/White game.
The injuries gave the freshmen an increased presence in the game.
“We really become a team in practice,” McCallie said. “Showing the freshmen that they don’t have to wait until they’re seniors to be leaders on this team is the biggest thing we can do for them.”
For the first quarter, the White team comprised a veteran lineup, including the power tandem of Krystal Thomas and Jasmine Thomas. The Blue team, predominantly made up of freshmen, came out with an intensity that propelled it to a 20-17 victory. Notably, the Blue squad was able to contain both Thomas’s, who combined for only six points on three-of-eight shooting in the first period of play.
In the second quarter, Jasmine Thomas showed her preseason All-American skills, however, finding Krystal Thomas and Chloé Wells off fast breaks for back-to-back easy baskets. She was only outdone by Gray’s no-look pass to Richa Jackson for a layup that left the crowd agape.
Thomas, however, got the last laugh when she found senior guard Karima Christmas on an alley-oop layup from center court off of an inbounds play at the end of the period.
In the fourth quarter the women’s team played as one unit, facing off against the men’s practice squad. The intensity and tempo picked up as Duke got a chance to play a different opponent for the first time.
“After playing those 30 minutes with subs, going out there and playing against those guys is just more free,” Christmas said.
Freshmen Tricia Liston, Wells and Gray all connected on treys during this period, showcasing Duke’s abilities beyond the three-point line. Fellow freshmen Haley Peters—sister of Duke men’s basketball player Casey Peters—also added six points.
Gray also sacrificed her body, taking a hard charge that left her coach smiling.
“That’s always good. She’s tough,” Jasmine Thomas said.
However, the increased physicality unfortunately left Krystal Thomas on the floor following an accidental elbow to the jaw. She was helped off the court and would not return to action. Her status is still uncertain.
“I can’t tell [the severity], but I just know that she just got hit and she’s got a headache, so we’ll see,” McCallie said.
Wells and Liston led the Blue Devils with 18 points each, and Jackson added 16, Peters 13, and Gray eight.
Overall, McCallie was pleased with the results, but acknowledged there was much room for improvement.
“I think it was a good day. I thought there were good things and obviously we need to get a whole lot better in all areas, but this was a good day to learn from,” she said.
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