Tricia Liston

Tricia led all scorers with 24 points, including 4-9 from three. I was more impressed with the way she ran the floor, finishing any number of plays with short runners and layups. She certainly showed why she was the MVP of the Greater NC Pro-Am's championship game this summer, looking noticeably trimmer and more active. That was reflected in her 8 rebounds (a team-leading 4 offensive) and her 3 steals. Her major weakness is still her ballhandling; she was harassed by double-teams and wasn't quite enough to beat her defender a couple of times and got called for charges. Still, this is a player who looks ready to start and make an impact. One-on-one defense may still be an issue against good teams, but having other quick players next to her and an eraser like Elizabeth Williams behind her has to be a comfort.

Haley Peters

Haley looked impressive with 21 points and 8 rebounds, playing exclusively at power forward. While not a traditional battler at that position, her work ethic and skill level make her an interesting matchup. She can be overwhelmed by a stronger opponent, but she will make them work and gather up their misses if they can't convert. Offensively, she mixed long-range and mid-range jumpers (mostly off of catches) with some turnaround jumpers in the low post. She's not nearly strong enough to attempt true post moves, but the offensive variety she displays is a nice complement to the true paint games of the other posts. Figuring out precisely she fits in with those players will be another story fans should follow this year.

Amber Henson

Amber's knees will be an issue all year as she practices a little less than her teammates in an effort to ease up on them. As a result, she looked rusty to start the game and didn't do much other than foul in the first quarter. She didn't pout or get frustrated; instead, she bided her time and waited to get better shots at the basket. In the second quarter, she scored on a post move and a 10' baseline jumper. She banged in a mid-range jumper and then really started firing away, sinking a couple of more jumpers to finish with 13 points and 7 rebounds. Amber had trouble handling ball pressure (8 turnovers) and Williams' imposing presence (5 fouls, as she had to guard her for three quarters), but there's no question that she improved as the game went on. Her ability to hit jumpers will make her a great complement to posts like Williams & Vernerey.

Elizabeth Williams

Liz's numbers were deceptive. There's no question that an initial perusal of her numbers reveals an alarming 6-19 mark from the floor. Most of those shots were good ones that simply didn't drop. She perhaps rushed about half of them, pushing them slightly so as to avoid a taller defender. There's no question that the length of her teammates forced her to push some of those shots. It was also disappointing that she didn't seem to be in the right position to go after her own misses, as she nabbed just 1 offensive rebound. That said, Williams commanded constant defensive attention no matter where she was. When she was in the low block, she drew multiple fouls both when she had the ball and when she was getting in position. When she was in the high post, she was adept at finding a teammate (two high-low assists, including a beautiful diagonal pass into Vernerey) or putting the ball on the deck. She had one hard spin dribble move from the high post where she bodied up Vernerey, spun and then blew past her (but didn't complete the layup in traffic). Liz already has a nice connection with Gray, as she finished a couple of near-telepathic connections for scores. Williams showed off her range by banging in a 15' jumper. She posted up on the right block and hit a short turnaround in the third quarter. It was clear that she got more comfortable as the game proceeded. In a game where she grabbed 9 rebounds, it felt disappointing that she didn't have more--that's the kind of potential she has. She had three highlight-reel blocked shots (including one where she went up with Vernerey and erased what should have been an unblockable shot) that didn't get a lot of attention from the crowd because she didn't swat them with emphasis, but instead kept them in play. As she continues to get more comfortable, she will rack up huge numbers. As it stands, 13 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocks is a pretty decent start.

Chloe Wells

Like Peters, Chloe is also a tweener. In her case, she's sometimes a tad too eager to hunt her own shot to be considered a true point guard, but she's too short to flourish as an off guard. Pairing her with Gray is an intriguing solution, in part because of Wells' potential as an on-ball defender. I'll be curious to see how she does against taller opponents, but her ferocity (4 steals, a couple of them clean picks) took her opponent aback in this game. She didn't quite sustain it all the way through (that's a lesson for practice), but there's no question that her confidence is way up since last year--and rightly so. While I noted that she shot a bit too much for my taste in this game (especially pull-up jumpers from three, none of which she made), she did do a sparkling job distributing the ball, with 7 assists against just 1 turnover. She found Peters, Liston and Selby with some nice looks. Wells also had 11 points on 5-14 shooting.

Allison Vernerey

Going up against Henson and Williams was a challenge for Alli, as both of them were able to push her way out of her comfort zone. When she went one-on-one against them, she wasn't able to finish. The best she could do was try to chuck over the outstretched arms of her opponents. On the other hand, she was able to attack the offensive boards and move nicely without the ball. She had a stickback and finished several nice passes from guards and one especially deft pass from Williams. Defensively, Allison gave as good as she got, sending back 3 shots. In general, she looked like the same active player as always, with the same limitations. She had 6 turnovers trying to lob the ball inside, although that was a directive of McCallie's. Look for the posts to try a lot more high-low action this season and for Williams & Henson and particular to jump after passes. Look for Vernerey to get plenty of opportunities as others collapse on Williams; it will be up to Alli to be aware of those passes and catch them.

Ka'lia Johnson

KJ, as she calls herself, had an eye-opening experience early in the game as she was the Blue team's sole ballhandler and was jumped by an experienced trio of guards. She did hit an early 15' jumper with a hand in her face, showing that she wasn't going to back down even if she was outmatched. The result was still 7 turnovers in the face of extreme pressure, but her effort was expressed in her 7 rebounds and her confidence was rewarded by knocking down 3 threes. Considering that shooting is considered to be one of her weaknesses, the form and timing on her shot was impressive. She's a gamer who will certainly battle for minutes this year, especially if she can turn up her own defensive pressure.

Richa Jackson

Richa looked like a healthy version of herself from last year, in that her mid-range jumper looked smooth but her decision-making was sometimes shaky. There's no question that she's physical and aggressive, smacking Chelsea with a foul that was audible and outmuscling bigger players for 9 rebounds. At the same time, her 3-9 shooting came as a result of occasionally trying to go 1-on-2 (or worse). She did get to the foul line 5 times, converting 4--an area where she could have a big impact this season. Her 6 fouls indicated that she's playing defense with her hands instead of her feet. That said, those fouls were an indication of her aggressiveness, as she also picked up 3 steals. Richa needs to dial it back a little while staying engaged and focused. That mid-range jumper of hers is a truly deadly weapon that no one else on the team has. She's dealing with a shin injury so she's not quite 100%, but her development as an offensive force is a story worth watching this year.

Shay Selby

Shay was incredibly active in this game, especially on the boards. Defensively, she was part of a trio that blasted the Blue team out of the water with tremendous ball pressure. That was an interesting lineup for Duke, because it combined Wells' quickness, Gray's length and Selby's opportunistic tendencies in the passing lanes. What was most impressive about Shay was her willingness to chase after rebounds, grabbing 9 overall and outquicking bigger players to the ball. Shay drained a couple of corner threes as well as a 15' pull-up jumper. Selby did a great job distributing the ball, dishing 6 assists against only 3 turnovers. What I liked best about her game is that she was always aggressive; passivity is what led to her receiving limited minutes a season ago.

Chelsea Gray

Other than her jump shot looking a little rusty (which we might blame on her being assigned Orin as a shooting partner at ACC Media Day), Chelsea looked like an All-America at both ends. She was credited for 10 assists and could have had a half dozen more if some good looks had fallen. Chelsea looks slimmer and in total control of her body; as a result, it's difficult to predict what she's going to do at any minute. She can get by defenders with a head fake or subtle jab with the ball. Once she's in the lane, she can pull up for a jumper, use her body to shield the ball while driving through traffic, or break off ridiculous no-look passes when the defenses collapse (she found both Liston and Williams with such passes in this game). She drove to the hoop on one possession and got the basket and the foul. On another, she stole the ball thanks to her ball pressure and breezed in for a layup. She had assists to Peter, Wells, and Liston, really getting in lockstep with her classmates. The most impressive thing about her game was her defense. She had 5 steals and was impossible to figure out at that end as well. The extra quickness she's added has made her an impressive perimeter defender, a dimension she needed to add to her already-quick hands. Most importantly, Chelsea looks comfortable as a leader that she never quite did playing next to Jasmine Thomas. It's Chelsea's team now, and she looks ready to prove herself. The one area she needs to remember to take care of is her own offense; she rushed some of her shots and her free throws.