Make no mistake: This is still Jasmine Thomas’s team. She still strikes fear in her opponents—Brigham Young head coach Jeff Judkins said after the game that the Duke press defense was “scary, knowing Thomas and what kind of player she is.” She still provides excellent leadership for a young team.
And in spite of shooting 0-for-7 from the floor in the first half and going into the locker room with just two free throws in the scoring column, Thomas still contributed on the court. She finished with 14 points, five assists, two blocks, two steals and matched a career high with 11 rebounds. She is still the star of head coach Joanne P. McCallie’s show.
But if Friday’s game against BYU is any evidence, the Blue Devils won’t need to lean on Thomas as much as they did last season. Last year, Thomas averaged 16 points per game. No other player averaged in double figures.
Against the Cougars, however, not only was Thomas not the leading scorer, she was just one of three players in double figures. And the extra scoring around Thomas wasn’t just an illusion created by a bad defensive opponent; the Blue Devils actually scored just 69 points against BYU after averaging 70.5 points per game last season. This was a case of Thomas not having to be the center of attention all game.
In the first half, all eyes were on Karima Christmas instead of Thomas. She led the Blue Devils in scoring with 20 points, including 16 before halftime. She said she was in “attack mode” as she had 12 free throw attempts and pulled down eight rebounds on the night. McCallie referred to Christmas as a “pitbull,” and her attacking style helped key the Blue Devil offense.
Kathleen Scheer was the other double-digit scorer, and continued production from Scheer would go a long way toward lifting the scoring burden from Thomas. Scheer has struggled with shoulder injuries and a position switch from her natural spot at power forward to more of a perimeter role. After averaging just 6.6 minutes and 2.3 points per game last season and never starting, Scheer got the start against the Cougars and played 24 minutes, chipping in eight rebounds and two blocks in addition to her 13 points.
If the strong offensive play of Scheer and Christmas keeps up, the Blue Devil offense won’t go stagnant when Thomas goes cold. Christmas, Scheer, and freshman Chloé Wells combined to shoot 7-for-17 while Thomas was still searching for her first make. The Duke offense was off-kilter in the first half, but that had more to do with struggles bringing the ball up against BYU’s press and missed opportunities in the paint than with Thomas’ poor shooting.
But even more important than the shared scoring load is that Thomas also wasn’t asked to run the point nearly as much in this game as she was last season. Christmas and Wells largely shared the point-guard duties, allowing Thomas to play off the ball most of the game.
“It makes the defense have to find me in different places,” Thomas said. “I think when I’m always bringing the ball up, I’m right there and the front target…. But when I’m off the ball, it’s harder to find me.”
It took some time for Wells to get acclimated to breaking BYU’s press, but once the Blue Devils found some rhythm against the tough defense, opportunities presented themselves. Thomas found her stroke in the second half and shot 4-for-5. Scheer made four of her five shots as well, including both of her 3-point attempts. Wells totaled five more points and created some impressive breakaways with her quickness. Having the freedom to play off the ball enabled Thomas to contribute in other ways.
“There’s just so much stuff to do on the court besides score,” Thomas said.
And with players like an improved Christmas, a more-comfortable Scheer, and a productive rookie Wells taking on some of the responsibilities previously allotted to Thomas, she’ll be able to focus on that “other stuff.” The team won’t be as reliant on her scoring contributions, and they’ll be able to just enjoy her star-level production rather than depend on it. This is still Thomas’s team, but Duke will be better for not relying on her all the time.
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