Azurá Stevens
- Year: Sophomore
- Height: 6-foot-6
- Position: Forward/guard
- Last year’s statline: 14.1 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 1.7 APG
Game Breakdown: Stevens is the tallest player on Duke’s roster at 6-foot-6, and she uses her height and low-post skills to finish at a very efficient clip around the basket—shooting better than 51 percent from the field last year. She established a formidable presence in the paint on her way to a second-team All-ACC selection as a freshman.
In addition to her post game, Stevens distinguishes herself with her versatility and ability to play on the perimeter. The Raleigh, N.C., native has impressive ball-handling skills for a player of her height, and she knocked down 13 3-pointers last season. She also showed off her skills during the FIBA U19 World Championship last summer, averaging 11.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, including 18 points in the team's gold medal game victory against Russia.
Stevens’ quickness creates mismatches when less agile opposing centers or smaller forwards have to guard her, allowing her to get steals defensively and be a key factor in the Blue Devils’ transition offense. The sophomore also uses these mismatches to draw fouls, and free-throw shooting is one area of her game that needs to improve this season. Stevens shot less than 60 percent from the line last year, and opponents will surely send her to the charity stripe a lot more this season if they have trouble containing her.
Role on the Team: The top-ranked recruiting class in the nation has received a lot of the hype entering this season, but Stevens will be the focal point of the team. As Duke’s leading returning scorer, she will be a major part of the offense on most possessions. The team’s backcourt depth should also give her room to work in the paint if opponents refuse to collapse inside and leave sharpshooters like Rebecca Greenwell, Angela Salvadores or Haley Gorecki open on the perimeter.
Stevens could also play on the wing as a small forward if the Blue Devils play a big lineup, with Kendall Cooper and Amber Henson in the frontcourt. Her versatility makes her an easy fit into virtually any group head coach Joanne P. McCallie puts on the floor. Expect Stevens to start every game and be one of the most dynamic players in the conference this season.
Projected Statline: 17.1 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.5 BPG
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