Tag Archives: Coach P

Duke Women's Basketball

The Duke Community comments on the loss of Kay Yow

The Blue Devil Nation sends the family of Kay Yow and N.C. State community our sincere condolences.  Having lost a sister to breast cancer, I understand the frustration and pain.

Coach McCallie (Coach P) -

On her reaction:
“It was just so mixed. She has been such a warrior in terms of her fight and her struggle, but a part of me is just feeling great for her to be going home to a better place for her now. It’s hard to

Kay Yow is in a better place and will always be remembered.
Kay Yow is in a better place and will always be remembered.

describe the feeling; it’s hard to put it into words. I’ve never seen a woman or known a woman to share a story, her story, so eloquently under such incredible conditions. The courage that she showed, a lot of people are afraid. They’re afraid to share their story. Kay was never afraid. I just know that it had to be a very peaceful thing for her. I’ve not known her very long, and I don’t know her extremely personally, but I feel like I know her character, and I think that’s the interesting thing about Kay Yow. You may not know her personally or had lunch perhaps, but the reality is you know her character and you know what she stands for. In our hearts, our thoughts, our prayers go out to North Carolina State and the entire North Carolina State family, that incredibly talented team. It’s much more personal and direct for them. We grieve with them, but we also celebrate with them. There’s a lot to celebrate there.
She transcends the basketball community. She’s been a historic leader in a very difficult circumstance for women’s health and issues. It transcends the game of basketball, and she was able to use the game of basketball in its proper context to make people better, to help people, to communicate. I still can never get over how ‘pink’ took over. The thing I’ll always think about with Kay is how she made pink. She made pink something special. For the longest time, pink was something soft and feminine and suddenly it became this courageous fight that everyone’s been united in, and that was one her many legacies. She made pink more beautiful than pink could ever be.”

Duke Men's Basketball Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski -
On Kay Yow's impact:
"Over the years, I've had a lot of time to interact with her through the V Foundation. The great thing about her is that she had the courage to fight her battle in public, and as a result she not only fought for herself, but for everybody that has cancer, will have cancer, and for the families who are involved. She created an amazing awareness for that fight and set such a good example, especially in this area with Jimmy [Valvano] as a male and for Kay to do that, I don't think any area of the country has brought an awareness to the fight against cancer like this one. God bless her - she was a terrific lady. A fighter 'til the end. ... It's a sad day, but in some respects when you celebrate a life it brings a smile to your face to know you were blessed to be in the presence of an amazing individual."

Former Duke Head Coach and Current Texas Head Coach Gail Goestenkors -

"Today is a sad day for all of women's basketball.  Kay was loved and respected by everyone, and we all feel blessed to have been a small part of her life.  Our game is forever changed because of her.  Kay's impact on the players she had the opportunity to coach and teach, and the impact on her colleagues and friends, cannot be measured.  She touched everyone in such an incredible way that we all felt like we were good friends of Kay's.  I have nothing but love and respect for her.  Her legacy will live on forever in our game."

Former Duke Head Coach Debbie Leonard -

"I knew Kay most of my life.  She was a role model when I was in college, even though she coached our rival, Elon.  She was an opponent as we played summer softball on rival teams.  And of course, when I got to Duke in '77 she once again was an opponent.  Through it all, I respected her so much and our friendship grew.  When I left Duke, one of the first calls I got was from my buddy Kay.  There will never be another who has the ability to be such a competitor in one moment and such an ally in the next.  As I speak these words I know Wuffie is very busy...she's up there forming a "Hoops in Heaven" league !!!"

Former Duke Student-Athlete, Assistant Coach and Current Head Coach at California Joanne Boyle -

"Coach Yow was an inspiration to everyone in all walks of life. She was a incredible role model who had a passion for young people that went above and beyond. Her strong walk with God gave her a purpose and a platform to touch lives in a positive way through a terrible disease. She fought gracefully, bringing awareness, and more importantly, HOPE, to those battling breast cancer.  Coach Yow was a servant to others and a mentor to all.  She gave all she had before leaving this earth and she will forever be remembered in the basketball community!"

Duke Women's Basketball

McCallie has Duke buying into defense – big win over Stanford

[private]The buzzer sounded in Cameron as the Duke Women upset the third rated Stanford Cardinal 56-52.  As one might expect several of the victorious Blue Devils ran about the court in glee, but not Coach McCallie.

After Stanford coach Tara Vanderveer gave McCallie a cold fish hand shake, the second year Blue Devil coach calmly walked off the court, glancing back at her players as if to say we have to get on a flight to Los Angeles tomorrow to take on Southern Cal and Sienna in back to back games.

It was one of McCallies three most impressive wins as a coach at Duke.  The other two, Maryland and Rutgers came last season and she obviously has hopes that there are more big wins to be had as the season progresses.

During the press conference McCallie, known to most as Coach P acted as if she expected to win over one of the countries better programs.  She certainly praised her teams defensive effort which included a suffocating array of pressing defenses which resulted in 23 Cardinal turnovers.

McCallie also praised her teams effort on the boards where they completely dominated the glass after being dominated on them in the first half.  She mentioned the effort of both teams in what was a physical match up.  In fact, Stanford Coach VanDerveer more or less whined about bodies hitting the floor just minutes before.

What McCallie didn't do was respond to any questions concerning the losing coaches comments, nor did she seemingly act any different with this victory than proceeding ones this season.  She instead kept the focus on her team and she once again prefaced her opening comments with "We can do a whole lot of things better.""

While McCallie may not have tipped her hand with a broad smile after the victory, she had to be elated with the victory.  it was a big step towards her goal of continuing to prepare for a deeper run in March.  She was clearly already thinking of the next game and while I don't know this for certain, the message to the team may have been we are supposed to do this, we are going to win like this and lets act like it.

So in a night where the ESPN camera crew asked her to come back out for an interview in front of a nationwide audience, McCallie served notice that her "smack you in the mouth" defense is a new, firm and solid staple for the program and that Duke can succeed with that style.

More importantly her team has developed depth, confidence and is playing together.  The Dukies seem poised to turn another corner but to do so they must put this big win behind them and be ready for a quick turnaround, flying cross country to take on USC.

Judging from last nights performance and comments, Coach P recognizes this and hopefully her team realizes that consistency and two wins out West, will move them up the ladder one step closer to the top.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Duke climbed to 8-1 on the season and won their 26th game versus a non conferences opponent out of the last 27 home games.  McCallie holds a 3-0 record versus Stanford Coach VanDerveer and won her third contest against a top five ranked team in under two seasons at Duke.

One of the stats which stood out was the fact that Duke outscored  a tall Stanford team 12-1 on second chance points.

Duke came up big at the free throw stripe as well going 17-22.  Duke also won the battle of the boards 40-39 after trailing 22-11 at the half.

The Games MVP - Sophomore Karima Christmas had a career high of 14 points and a career high of 9 rebounds as well.  She hit here first three pointer of her career and ended up 2 for 2 betond the stripe.

Duke next plays at Southern Cal on 12-19 in a game televised on FSNW.[/private]

Duke Women's Basketball

Duke Women go to 5-1 with an easy 71-47 win over Iowa

[private]Durham, N.C. Duke found it's shooting touch in the second half and rode a solid defensive effort to defeat Iowa 71-47 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.   The Blue Devils were led in scoring by Chante Black who tallied 18 points to go with 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.

Black was honored before the game for becoming the 24th player in Duke history to score 1000 points or better in her career.  She has now tallied double figures in each of her first six contests and has now done so 56 times.

Joy Cheek was the only other Devil in double figures with 13 points.  Abby Waner had a tough shooting night but did manage 7 assists and 5 steals to go with her 8 points.  Duke was playing without the injured players Chelsea Hopkins and Jasmine Thomas.

Hopkins had surgery on her left knee and is expected back in four weeks or less.  Thomas has a sprained left MCL and is out for around three weeks.

Duke once again had a solid defensive effort holding the Hawkeyes to 29.4% shooting for the evening.  They also caused 24 turnovers while committing just 8.

"It was a really good game for us.  A great defensive game, a lot of people doing different things, an interesting game," said Coach McCallie.  She continued, I love the fact where we had 26 turnovers which we caused."

Duke blanket the visitors with a variety of presses which took them out of the game by the ten minute mark.

"I think their defense was a factor, especially when you get down double digits.  I think thats when you have to have the energy level and depth to come back.  It's obvious that they have good depth," stated Iowa Coach Lisa Blunder.

Duke opened 0-13 from the floor and didn't score until the 15:23 mark in the first half.

"I just think they played through it.  That was incredible intensity.  The part you have to add is that Iowa could not get their shot off.  I thought our team took care of it, especially in the second half when things were more up to speed," stated McCallie.

Duke outscored the Hawkeyes by a whopping 48-14 margin in the paint but despite that stat, they were oddly  rebounded 44-39.

The Dukies play another Big Ten team in Michigan at 2:00 on Sunday afternooin Cameron with courtside seats available.[/private]

Duke Women's Basketball

Duke Women set to host Iowa in ACC/Big Ten Challenge

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Good seats remain for a Duke-Iowa clash in Cameron Indoor Stadium -

Blue Devils Host Iowa In Big Ten/ACC Challenge On Thursday...

Coming off playing three straight contests away from Cameron Indoor Stadium, the 12th-ranked Duke women’s basketball team will return home on Thursday, Dec. 4 to host Iowa in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge at 7:00 p.m.

Fans can hear the Blue Devils live on the radio on WDNC AM 620 with Steve Barnes (PXP) and Morgan Patrick (Color) calling the action.  The contest will feature live video on ACC Select.  For more information on ACC Select, head to www.accselect.com.

Prior to the contest, senior Chante Black will be honored for becoming the 24th player in Duke history to reach the 1,000-point mark, which occurred on Nov. 16 versus Maine.  In the rankings, Duke is listed No. 12 in the Associated Press and No. 14 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Polls.

Media Info

What: Iowa at Duke ( ACC/Big Ten Challenge)

Date: December 4, 2008

Location: Durham, N.C.

Venue: Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)

Tipoff: 7:00 p.m.

Radio: WDNC AM 620

Radio Talent: Steve Barnes (PxP), Morgan Patrick (Color)

Online Audio/Video: ACC Select   www.accselect.com

Livestats: www.GoDuke.com

Noting Duke...

Over the last four games, Duke has averaged 16.8 steals a contest ... the Blue Devils have forced an average of 29.5 turnovers during the last four games ... so far on the season, senior Chante Black owns 14 blocked shots, which is more than Duke’s five opponents have accumulated against the Blue Devils ... Black was selected to the DePaul Invitational All-Tournament team, after averaging 13.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 steals in two games.

A Look At Iowa...

Iowa enters the contest with a 4-3 overall record and is coming off playing three games in the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas.  The Hawkeyes defeated Texas Tech before falling to South Florida and California.  Megan Skouby (17.0 points, 4.6 rebounds), Wendy Ausdemore (11.3 points, 6.6 rebounds) and Kristi Smith (10.4 points, 2.0 rebounds) have led Iowa so far on the season.

Lisa Bluder is in her 25th year as a head coach and owns an overall record of 508-243.

The Series With Iowa...

Duke and Iowa will meet for the first time in school history.

Duke Versus The Big Ten...

The Blue Devils own an overall record of 14-8 against teams from the Big Ten Conference -- Illinois (0-3), Michigan (2-0), Michigan State (2-0), Minnesota (0-1), Penn State (5-1), Purdue (4-3) and Wisconsin (1-0).

Storylines...

•  In her 17-year coaching career, Joanne P. McCallie owns an 8-6 record against Iowa.  All 14 contests were while McCallie was the head coach at Michigan State.  Coach P has won four straight and seven out of the last eight against the Hawkeyes.

•  Duke will play its next two straight contests against Big Ten opponents -- Iowa and Michigan.

•  After outrebounding its opponents the first four games, Western Kentucky outrebounded Duke, 41-40.  The Blue Devils continue to hold a 14.2 rebounding advantage, which ranks seventh nationally.

•  In Duke’s first ACC/Big Ten Challenge last year, the Blue Devils fell in a heartbreaker, 86-84, at Penn State.  As a conference, the ACC won the challenge by an 8-3 ledger.  Coach P posted a 69-45 record against the Big Ten, while she was the head coach at Michigan State.

What Is Next?...

Duke will host Michigan on Sunday, Dec. 7 at 2:00 p.m., as the Blue Devils are playing three straight home contests.  Following the contest with Wolverines, Duke will be off for exams until Dec. 16 versus Stanford.

ACC Select To Air Contests...

Duke’s next two home contests will be aired live on ACC Select, which provides audio and video online at www.accselect.com.  If you cannot make it to Cameron Indoor Stadium in person then head to the web site to watch the Blue Devils face Iowa (Dec. 4) and Michigan (Dec. 7).

Point Guard Shortage...

With injuries to Jasmine Thomas and Chelsea Hopkins, the Blue Devils have lost two of their top point guards to run the offense.  Thomas, who is a sophomore from Fairfax, Va., opened the season starting at the point guard slot the first four games and Hopkins, a freshman from Las Vegas, Nev., has been playing an extended amount of time at the point position off the bench.

Thomas suffered a sprained MCL of her left knee in practice on Nov. 26 and is expected to miss two weeks.  Hopkins was injured in the second half of the Western Kentucky game with a lateral meniscus injury.  She will have surgery on Thursday, Dec. 4 and a timetable on her return will be released following surgery.

With Thomas and Hopkins injured, junior Keturah Jackson started at point guard in the last game and is expected to do so again versus Iowa.

Jackson Comes Up Big...

Junior Keturah Jackson hit two of the most important free throws of her career at Western Kentucky in the last game as she nailed two with 10.1 seconds remaining.  The points gave the Blue Devils a 59-56 lead and Duke went on win by the same ledger.

So far on the season, Jackson is averaging 4.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.6 steals.  Jackson is averaging 5.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals in her two games started, while hitting 3-of-6 field goals.

Blue Devils Return Home...

In two games this season in Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Blue Devils have averaged 87.5 points, hit 42.4 percent of their field goals, pulled down 56.5 rebounds, averaged 13.5 steals, 17.5 assists and 8.0 blocked shots in victories against Oklahoma State and Maine.  Senior Chante Black has averaged 22.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.0 blocks, 1.5 assists and hit 70.4 percent of her field goals.

In three games on the road, Duke has averaged only 67.7 points, hit 38.0 percent from the field, 26.5 percent from downtown, averaged 45.3 rebounds, 10.7 assists, 5.0 blocked shots and 15.0 steals, while posting a 2-1 record.

ESPNU Reporter...

Blue Devil senior Abby Waner was the sideline reporter for the recent North Carolina at Duke football game on ESPNU this past Saturday.  Waner has received excellent reviews for her work on the sideline so far this season as she was also the reporter for the Virginia at Duke game on Sept. 27 and the Miami and Duke contest on Nov. 18.

Waner also serves as a features host for David Cutcliffe’s Duke Football Show.

Tough Defense...

The Duke defense has been stellar to open the season as the Blue Devils are holding opponents to 30.4 percent shooting, which ranks second in the ACC and sixth nationally.

Since Coach P arrived at Duke, it’s defense has held 13 opponents to under 30.0 percent shooting and 30 opponents to under 40.0 percent shooting out of 40 games.

In The NCAA Stats...

The NCAA has released its first set of national statistics with the Blue Devils ranking in the top 20 of six categories -- sixth in field goal percentage defense (30.4), seventh in rebounding margin (14.2), sixth in steals per game (14.4), 14th in scoring margin (23.6), 18th in scoring defense (52.0) and 14th in blocked shots (6.2).

Senior Chante Black is 17th in blocks per game (2.8), Abby Waner is 52nd in steals per game (2.8), Chelsea Hopkins is 59th in steals (2.8) and Jasmine Thomas is 21st in assist/turnover ratio (2.83).

Both Iowa and Michigan are two of the top free throw shooting teams in the nation as they rank 17th (76.9) and 22nd (76.7), respectively.

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Duke Women's Basketball

#8 Duke Women Throttle Maine, 98-31

[private]Abby Waner hit a three point shot in the opening  minute of the game and Duke never looked back, in route to a 96-31 blowout.  The Blue Devils went on an early 15-1 run and rode that to a 47-12 halftime lead. 

The stats at the break said it all.  Duke out rebounded the Bears 28-14 and made a living at the free throw stripe hitting 16 of 20.  The Blue Devils stifling defense put a vice grip on the visitors who struggled to 4 made field goals in just 20 shots.

The second half was similar to the first with Duke outscoring Maine 10-0 in the first minutes.  The game gave Coach McCallie the opportunity to to play all twelve players.  This allowed freshman Kathleen Scheer, Chelsea Hopkins and Shay Selby to get significant minutes.

Scheer had 9 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists in her college debut.  Shay Selby had 7 points and 2 assists.  Perhaps the most productive freshman was Chelsea Hopkins who tallied 9 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.

"It's always great when you can go deep into your bench and give everyone some positive experience.  It's one thing to get positive experience, it's another thing for people to take advantage of it.  It's one thing to get some playing time, but another to be extremely productive and very intense during your time on the floor.  I thought this group really did a super job attacking and going to strengths," said McCallie.

It was also a milestone for senior Chante Black in that her opening basket was her 1000th career point.  That basket came via assist from fellow senior Abby Waner.  Black also moved in to the top ten All Time Leading Shot Blockers in the ACC with a total of 4. 

Black was the teams high scorer with 16, fellow senior Waner had 9 points and 5 assists.  Thomas had 13 points. Cheek 10, Jasmine Thomas and Gay 7 apiece and 6 for Mitchell and 5 for Jackson. 

The Duke defense caused 38 Bear turnovers and held them to 23% shooting for the game.  They out rebounded Maine 56-17 and had 23 assists to just 5 for the opponent.  Duke had 27 second chance points and 19 more from the fast break.    The Dukies outscored Maine 50-14 in the paint.  McCallie won her 343rd game as a coach.

Black has a total of 1015 points in her career.  Abby Waner tied Vickie Kraphol in all time thee pointers for Duke and is 25th in the ACC.  Careem Gay hit her first career three pointer.  Joanne McCallie coached the Bears head coach, Cindy Blodgett in her stint at Maine.  The Blue Devils move to 2-0 for the season and will now head to Chicago, Illinois for the DePaul Invitational where they open with Hartford on 11-21 at 6:30 PM CST.[/private]