All told, I'd say Duke wound up with a best-case scenario regarding the
assistants. There's a mix of youth, experience and familiarity.
Considering that Coach P's staff is going to be doing a lot of recruiting
legwork, Duke is in good hands with Samantha Williams and Shannon Perry.
Al Brown has nearly 40 years of coaching experience. Both Brown &
Williams have experience coaching in the SEC, while Williams has a couple
of years of Big East experience and Brown of course has many years of Big
10 experience.
Let's do a quick breakdown of each coach:
Shannon Perry: Shannon had the choice of staying at Duke or going
to Texas, and in the end she chose to stay to continue the relationships
she's cultivated with Duke's players. She had a strong hand in recruiting
all but the team's seniors and having that sort of continuity will be
important in this time of transition. This will be especially important
as Coach P and the other assistants look to build relationships with
recruits in the classes of 2008 and 2009, relationships that Shannon has
already helped to create. Shannon was working with the post players under
Coach G, and it's yet to be determined if she or Al Brown will be working
with them next season.
Al Brown: Al brings in 40 years of basketball coaching
experience at 9 different schools. He's been in the women's game since
1995, helping the Lady Vols to three consecutive national titles. He's
the only person to coach in NCAA championship games for both men and
women. His presence helped catapult Michigan State to their first Final
Four. He probably won't be as heavily involved in recruiting as the other
assistants; Brown is a teacher first and foremost. Always popular with
players because of his affable personality, he will assist in both
breaking down opponents and working with the post players in some
capacity. His wealth of experience in dealing with the best of the best
and developing them at Tennessee will make him an important figure at
Duke.
Samantha (Sam) Williams: Coach P recruited Sam to Auburn in the
early 90's and now has a chance to work with her again. She was actually
hired by Coach P for Michigan State after Semeka Randall left after this
season, and she decided to follow her to Duke. Sam replaced the late
Maggie Dixon (who went on to Army for one magical season before passing
away) as DePaul's recruiting coordinator in 2005. The Blue Demons had
three excellent seasons while she was there, and were best known for a
relentless up-tempo attacking style. Sam will work with the guards at
Duke and will have plenty to work with...especially with young superstar
Jasmine Thomas coming in to play point guard. Look for her to work
closely with Shannon on the recruiting front. Sam's pro experience (one
season in the ABL) will also be a plus.
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