After spending last summer playing with Duke in France, senior Tricia Liston is headed overseas once again.
Instead of donning just Duke blue, Liston will wear red, white and blue when she competes for the United States in the 2013 Women’s World University Games, which will be held in Kazan, Russia.
To make the squad, Liston competed against some of the nation’s top players at a three-day training camp in Colorado Springs, Colo. Her performance earned her a spot on the squad, which will open play at the World University Games July 8 against Belarus.
“It’s a very special, unique opportunity to compete at that level. I mean, that is the Olympic level of competition in representing their country,” Duke head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “It’s quite an honor, and it’s an honor for us to have [Liston] as a member of our team.”
Twelve players made the squad, including Baylor point guard Odyssey Sims and Nebraska forward Jordan Hooper, who was on the losing end of a low-scoring Sweet 16 contest against Liston and the Blue Devils in the 2013 NCAA tournament.
Liston will fit right into the rotation as the squad’s deadly long-range shooter. She ranked third in the nation last season, knocking down 46.5 percent of her attempts from beyond the arc.
McCallie added that in addition to Liston’s shooting prowess, the 6-foot-1 guard hopes to use international play as an opportunity to work on other facets of her game.
“She’s one of the best shooters in the country, and she’s ready to do that, and she’s ready to do other things as well,” McCallie said. “She has diversified her game quite a bit.”
Liston will not be new to playing with fresh talent this summer. After fellow senior Chelsea Gray went down with a knee injury, Liston saw her role increase as she transitioned from being the Blue Devils’ primary bench option to starting shooting guard. The senior averaged a career-high 13.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest last year while breaking the program’s single-season record for 3-pointers in a season.
McCallie said that aside from giving Liston the opportunity to play against the world’s top competition, competing in the World University Games will be a life-changing experience.
“Tricia’s in for some great cultural experiences, obviously the great basketball, representing her country,” McCallie said. “It’s going to be special for her.”
Although Russia will present a change of scenery, there is more change in the game of basketball itself when it comes to playing in Europe, where basketball is more physical and referees are not quite as stingy on foul calls. Liston said she began to see these changes last summer when she traveled to France with her Blue Devil teammates.
On that trip, however, Liston was accompanied by her teammates and a familiar coaching staff, and she maintained a sense of comfort. This summer will see her playing with teammates she has only two weeks to train alongside. But Liston understands this is simply part of the process and hopes to make the adjustment smoothly.
Liston is not the only Blue Devil representing her country this summer. Sophomore Alexis Jones will also play for the United States as a part of the U19 World Championship team, which will compete in Lithuania.
Looking ahead to her senior season, Liston views this summer as an opportunity to learn how to play alongside new players—a skill that will come in handy when Duke adds several pieces to its roster this season in hopes of solving its championship puzzle.
“Playing with new people will help me have a new respect for my [Duke] teammates,” Liston said. “Just being able to adjust to new players because we’re going to have new freshmen coming through looking to make an impact.”
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