..making it's way back as opposed to "early success."
- Duke wasn't a powerhouse last year and lost it's two best players (by far) to graduation: Leanna Odom (now in the WNBA) and Haley Gorecki (who ended what seemed like ten years there).
- They've got some talent with senior forward Jade Williams, junior Aussie guard Miela Goodchild, who can go off on three pointers, and oft-injured Mikayla Boykin. If those three can stay injury free, we'll see. Maybe Kara, Beth, etc. can squeeze a good year out of them. They do, unlike ND last year, have playing time.
- However, they've only got one freshman, PG Vanessa DeJesus (#37 HG), coming in and all three 2021 verbal prospects have decommitted. I find that extremely unusual given a school of Duke's ilk, which leads me to believe the new coaching staff wants their own players. Now.
- So, it will take a bit for recruiting to catch up, since they got now got zip in 2021 and most of the top prospects are signed up. (Do they make a run at Kiki Iriafen, as well?).
Expect them to go hard at some of the same 2022's, particularly those that are academically inclined.
Rice has done a very good job the last few years and has gotten transfers and not-highly-rated recruits to play up. If this now-Duke asst. coach had anything to do with that improvement, that's solid.
Like you, I expect them to make their way back, but I don't think it will be immediate: Louisville simply keeps reloading; Syracuse is getting Top Ten players now and Wes Moore is getting his kind of players at NC State.
Meanwhile, UNC and ND are going hard -- and getting -- similar kinds of players, which Duke wants to go after, too. And Stanford is probably in on most of them, too. Plus, Georgia Tech, Clemson and Wake are all picking up a player here and there. Competition is out.