The three seniors on the women’s basketball team played their last game together in a Blue Devil uniform March 29 in Philadelphia.
But for two of them, their time together won’t end after they graduate—at least not for a while.
Senior point guard Jasmine Thomas and senior center Krystal Thomas were both selected to the Seattle Storm Monday during the 2011 WNBA Draft. Their teammate Karima Christmas will also join the professional ranks next year as a member of the Washington Mystics.
Jasmine Thomas was chosen in the first round as the No. 12 pick overall and was the second ACC player to gain a spot on a professional team’s camp roster—after Georgia Tech’s Alex Montgomery was drafted 10th.
Thomas is coming off a senior season in which she was named an AP second-team All-American and was a finalist for two national Player of the Year awards.
“I’ve never been to Washington before, but I’m excited to play in a great city...with one of the best point guards there in Sue Bird,” Jasmine Thomas said. “They also have Lauren Jackson, Swin Cash and a great veteran group to have a chance to learn from.”
The Storm won the 2010 WNBA championship and currently lead the Western Conference by 13 games, boasting the best record in the league. This is the second consecutive year the team has selected a point guard with its first pick.
“They’re obviously a great team, and to have a team knowing that success and with me coming in as a rookie, I’ll be finding a role for me to really jump into,” Jasmine Thomas said.
Krystal Thomas was selected as the final pick, No. 36 overall in the third round, and will add size—at six-foot-five—to the Storm’s camp roster. She became only the second Blue Devil in program history to collect 300 rebounds in a single season after she reached the benchmark this year.
Joining the two is former Blue Devil Bridgette Mitchell, who played overseas last year and recently signed a training camp contract with the Storm Sunday.
Drafted to the other side of the nation was Christmas, who was chosen at No. 23 in the second round by the Washington Mystics.
All three Blue Devils proved instrumental in the team’s success this year, as Duke won the ACC Tournament and reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament before falling to top-ranked Connecticut.
“They have done so much throughout their career at Duke and learned a great deal and offered a great deal,” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said.
“I think playing in the ACC and the kind of schedules they’ve played, they’ve been through a lot and have been challenged. I’m really proud of them…and I’m eager and excited for them and hope they can make the most of their time there [in the WNBA].”
Although the three are excited about their future paths, they are still apprehensive about transitioning from college basketball to the professional level and are grateful for what Duke has done for them.
“Over my four years, I’ve definitely grown and been able to learn, even though I’ve always been in the leading position,” Jasmine Thomas said.
“It’s just different playing among the best players in the world, and I think it’s definitely more competitive, more physical, and it’s a job. You’re not just playing and knowing that next year you can come back and get better. You’re playing each year for a job, and that makes it a whole different mindset, a whole different arena.”
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