When the rest of the nation is watching football and eating turkey Thursday, Duke will have a working vacation as the Blue Devils travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam Tournament.
Although many outsiders point to the lack of family time over the holidays as a negative facet of both college and professional athletics, the No. 2 Blue Devils view the trip as a great opportunity to grow together as a team. They are also are not too upset about having to spend their Thanksgiving on St. Thomas, where the projected low temperature is 73 degrees for every day of their trip.
“As student-athletes and coaches, Thanksgiving is a time that we play and we’re used to doing that,” Duke head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “We’ve had some great times at home being in Durham, and this is a wonderful time for our team because going to the Virgin Islands is a very nice trip.”
Slated to play three games in three consecutive days, Duke (5-0) will square off with Xavier Thursday, Central Michigan Friday and Kansas Saturday at the University of the Virgin Islands Sports and Fitness Center.
The quick turnaround will give Duke some early preparation for postseason play, when turnaround times grow shorter for the most important games of the year.
“I think we’re pretty comfortable with it," McCallie said of playing three games in three days. “I think we understand that and we’re trying to push ourselves through these to get better through these games. This is what will make us better in the long run.”
Duke’s next six nonconference games all come in some form of a tournament or featured challenge. Upon their return, the Blue Devils have two games in the upcoming ACC/Big Ten Challenge then one contest in the Jimmy V Classic.
Alhough players cited postseason preparation as the main draw for teams to play in these midseason tournaments, McCallie pointed to a more player-friendly aspect of the tournaments as the number one reason her players enjoy the tournaments.
“Having three games in a row, [the players] love it. They don’t have to practice,” McCallie said. “No shootarounds just play, play, play. They’re going to be all over this.”
The Blue Devils—who have all five starters averaging double digits in scoring—are led by senior point guard Chelsea Gray, who is nearly averaging a double-double at 13.2 points and 9.4 assists per game. Senior forward Haley Peters' playing status will be up in the air after missing Duke's victory Marquette due to a knee injury. The senior is one of the keys to her team's strength on the glass and is the only player averaging a double-double, averaging 11.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.
The first test for the Blue Devils will be Xavier (2-2). The Musketeers are led by strong guard play, starting with senior Shatyra Hawkes. Hawkes enters the contest averaging 21.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Xavier’s backcourt boasts impressive size, with fellow starting guards Jenna Crittendon and Ashley Wanninger both standing at 5-foot-10. Their length and rebounding abilities—the duo combines to average 12.3 rebounds per contest—will provide the perfect test for a Duke team looking to improve on the glass.
“We still really need to focus on defensive rebounding,” Duke center Elizabeth Williams said. “We got outrebounded [against Marquette] and I think that was really the difference as far as their offensive production, just because they had more opportunities at the basket. So for us, it’s just making those adjustments and seeing that in film and doing better.”
Central Michigan (1-2) has a pair of players that have set themselves apart from the pack in guard Crystal Bradford and forward Jas’Mine Bracey. The pair average a combined 33.5 points and 20.5 rebounds per contest and will attack the paint often in hopes of getting the Blue frontcourt into foul trouble.
Kansas (3-1) also features a lethal guard-forward combination in sophomore forward Chelsea Gardner and guard Asia Boyd. Gardner enters the tournament averaging 19.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game and will likely be guarded by Williams, which will make it the matchup to watch during Saturday’s contest.
“We’re playing a lot of strong teams,” Williams said. “It’s just a little preview of how tournament time is where you have back-to-back games and you have to learn how to adjust from one game going into the next and just learning from that quick turnover.”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.