Center Krystal Thomas and forward Karima Christmas started all but one of Duke’s 36 games together as seniors last season. As the team’s two leading rebounders, they combined to form the Blue Devil frontcourt that muscled its way to last season’s Elite Eight.
Although losing two post players of such a high caliber would be crippling to most programs, most programs are not bringing in two of the top frontcourt recruits in the country. Enter Elizabeth Williams and Amber Henson.
Williams and Henson will take many of the minutes left behind by the departed Thomas and Christmas, but they are in no sense replacements because of the different style of play they bring to the table. The two freshmen were recruited due to their athleticism, giving the frontcourt a dynamic element that was not as pronounced in recent years.
“Obviously, Krystal did a lot of great things for us, but you’re talking about different kinds of post players,” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “The speed and quickness of Elizabeth and Amber can be very helpful to us getting down the floor.”
Williams, ranked No. 2 in the class of 2011 by ESPN.com’s HoopGurlz, is the gem of this year’s freshmen for McCallie and the Blue Devils. At 6-foot-3, she is a pure center who can score and defend in the paint while also contributing significant athleticism to the position. With the graduation of Thomas, who finished third in the ACC with 59 blocks last year, Williams will have particularly big shoes to fill in terms of the interior defense.
Beyond that, however, her versatility and ability to effectively run the floor will bring a dimension that Thomas did not. In order to succesully have an on-court presence, Williams will have to adjust to the collegiate level of play and prepare for both the physical and mental aspects of the transition.
“I’ve been trying to get a lot stronger and quicker to use my speed to my advantage,” Williams said. “The pace is a lot higher in college. You have to pick things up a lot more quickly.”
Her development coming into this year was unlike that of her fellow freshmen because her future classmates all spent their summers on campus. Instead, Williams traveled to Puerto Montt, Chile with the USA team to compete in the FIBA U-19 World Championships. She started six of nine games there, helping guide the Americans to a gold medal, her third in international competition.
Meanwhile, Henson was in Durham preparing for the season with her other teammates. Spending time at Duke was critical for her, as her recruitment came under unique circumstances—her brother John is a junior playing for Duke’s biggest rival, the North Carolina men’s basketball team.
McCallie praised Henson and her entire family, saying her parents did a good job of ignoring the potentially sticky situation and helping choose what was best for their daughter.
“I knew it was a big rivalry,” Henson said. “But I don’t think I realized how big of a rivalry it was until I actually got here.”
Like Williams, Henson stands at 6-foot-3 and moves exceptionally well for her size. Although Christmas is gone at the forward position, Henson joins a crew of players in senior Kathleen Scheer and sophomores Haley Peters and Tricia Liston who have size but are dual inside and outside threats.
“For Amber Henson, her athleticism, quickness and toughness [define her]. She’s an incredibly tough player,” McCallie said. “She understands competition at the highest level, [because of] her family.”
Henson and Williams together will undoubtedly have an immediate impact on the offense. The pair brings increased versatility and speed that McCallie and the players stressed as keys to their games. With five players on the court who can run the floor at any given time, the Duke offense could play at a pace that it has never shown before.
But before any outlet pass is thrown, as Henson and Williams sprint into the new season they know their accomplishments and skills mean nothing until they translate them to the collegiate level.
“I think they’re all really excited to get better,” McCallie said of her entire group of freshmen. “I don’t think they’re too concerned with what they’ve done, but I think they’re very concerned about the direction they’re going.”
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