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A “new” season is upon us. We are so excited about the opportunity to play in the ACC Tournament! We wrapped up the regular season this past weekend winning the ACC regular season title. Allison Vernerey, our lone senior, has been a part of four straight regular season ACC Championships, I am so PROUD of her!!! Four years ago, she made the hard decision in leaving her family in France to come to Duke and leave her mark on this program. Those four titles are a true testament to her hard work, determination and dedication to what Duke women’s basketball is all about.
This week we embark on a special trip, the ACC Tournament is a new step on our 2012-13 journey and we are SO excited, this gives us another opportunity to grow as a team. We spent Wednesday going over video from our win against UNC, a tough, hard battle where our ladies showed good poise and presence of mind. We use film as an extension of the practice court; we tear every game apart when we watch film, win or lose, since we’re always on the hunt for ways to get better. Honesty is the key when we are in film and requires each individual to abandon their own sensitivity to allow growth for the individual players and the team. We want our players to constantly evolve as basketball players – video plays a big part of that.
After film we had a great day of practice. Our players are excited about the ACC Tournament and it showed today! We focused on sharpening up our execution and what we do well on the court. Rebounding was a point of emphasis for us because every game is going to come down to a rebounding battle. Having Elizabeth Williams and Haley Peters is a luxury to have but to win during tournament time takes a total team effort!
The rest of the day was filled with basketball and family. Our staff meets every day at training table, we breakdown practice and discuss upcoming opponents. We have a first round bye in the ACC Tournament. NC State and Clemson will play each other on Thursday and we will play the winner of that contest. Both teams are very athletic and can pose a variety of issues that our team will have to defend and fight!
After a long day I came home and spent some quality time with my husband John, our son Jack and dog Kibo, but life without basketball doesn’t last long in our household. Maddie, our daughter, is a freshman guard at Miami (OH). Her team plays tonight at 7… we're so excited!!! I love coaching my team and they keep me so busy but for the next two hours I am simply a mom who will be screaming at the TV for her daughter to grab a rebound!
See you at the ACC Tournament!
Joanne P. McCallie (Coach P)