Here are my brief takes on bits of news that have emerged since the end of the season.

Assistant Coach Samantha Williams To Louisville

It was recently announced that assistant coach Samantha Williams took a job at Louisville. The Duke release on the matter was just a reprinting of the Louisville release, in which coach Jeff Walz spoke warmly of her and her abilities. Few other details have been forthcoming regarding the circumstances of her departure from Duke, although she was absent from team functions as early as the annual banquet. Williams was the architect of Duke's top-ranked freshman class this season, having a direct hand in the recruitment of Chelsea Gray, Richa Jackson, Tricia Liston and Haley Peters. Williams was well known on the recruiting circuit as a tireless worker who excelled at finding talent and creating relationships with players, parents and coaches. With her departure, Trisha Stafford-Odom will step into the lead recruiter role; she has a tough act to follow.

Assistant Coach Candice Jackson Hired By Duke

Recent Wake Forest assistant Candice Jackson was hired to replace the opening created by Williams' departure. Jackson played for McCallie at Michigan State from 2000-04, mostly as a deep reserve due to a history of injuries. Jackson coached post players during her four years as an assistant at Richmond and moved over to coach guards at Wake Forest. She was also a key recruiter for the Demon Deacons, who signed one top 100 player in her two seasons in Winston-Salem (#93 DeArica Hamby, coming in next year's class). In this year's class, guard Chelsea Douglas demonstrated that she could be a solid contributor after averaging 9 ppg and 2 apg. The other three frosh from this year's class were bit players at best. This was widely considered to be a disappointing season for the Demon Deacons after an uptick in 2010, so Jackson will have much to prove as a Duke assistant. That will include both her status as a teacher as well as being to demonstrate the ability to seek out, reach and make connections with elite talent from across the country. Her familiarity with Coach McCallie's coaching style will certainly work in her favor, as will her familiarity with Duke's players and the ACC in general.

C-Well Hops On Board

Elizabeth Williams Makes Under-19 Squad

Incoming frosh Elizabeth Williams will get a jump on her basketball career as part of USA Basketball's Under-19 team. Making this team and winning gold has become routine for Williams, who did both with the Under-16 and Under-17 teams. Williams was the second leading scorer on the U16 team at 13 ppg. She shot an absurd 66% from the field and led also led the team in rebounding at 5.2 per game. No opponent came within 50 points of the US in that competition. She led the U17 team in scoring at 13.5 ppg and rebounding at 7.6, shooting 62% from the field. No opponent came within 25 points of the US in this tournament. In an U19 exhibition game against Brazil, Williams had 15 of the USA's 49 points in a 12-point win, along with 6 boards and 5 blocks. Williams will travel to Chile in late July. Needless to say, Williams is expected to be an impact player at Duke.

Sierra Moore Commits To Duke

5-11 forward Sierra Moore became the first player from the high school class of 2012 to commit to Duke. The Hanover, PA native is an excellent run-and-jump athlete who specializes in defense at the moment. The potential is there for her to become a Karima Christmas-type power wing who can muscle her way to the basket but also hit the occasional jump shot. Moore is ranked #48 in her class by ESPN/Hoopgurlz and is a consensus top 40 player overall. She's grown a good bit over the last couple of years and has found herself at point guard and post at various times. "Potential" is the word used to describe her game, given her rapid improvement, increased physical strength and overall skills development.

Whitney Knight Commits To Florida Gulf Coast

Former Duke commit Whitney Knight, a 6-1 guard from Winston-Salem, has committed to Florida Gulf Coast. She decommitted from Duke last fall when the Devils were still recruiting Betnijah Laney (who committed to Rutgers this spring). She was going to find four more schools to visit as she reopened her recruitment, and it seemed possible that Duke might still be on the list. Word has it that she was perhaps concerned about playing time (and with good reason, given that Duke is stacked at the wing), and so choosing the Eagles of the Atlantic Sun was probably a very wise choice for her. Observers may remember that FGC began last season 14-0, beating Seton Hall, Indiana, and Virginia Tech. The Eagles went on to play in the second round of the WNIT.

Blue Devils Playing In The Greater NC Pro-Am

"The Rucker of the South", aka NC Central's McClendon-McDougald Gymnasium, is hosting women's basketball for the first time this summer. This event, featuring high school, college and pro women's basketball players, will take place every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Upcoming women's games featuring Duke players will be on 7/26 at 9pm, 8/2 at 5pm, and 8/4 at 6pm. I caught a recent game between Blue Magic and Lady McGladrey, two teams dominated by ACC players. Blue Magic featured Haley Peters, Tricia Liston, Ka'Lia Johnson, Amber Henson and Bridgette Mitchell, along with NC State players Marissa Kastanetk, Len'Nique Brown and Kody Burke. Their opponents featured a host of Tar Heels past and present, including their incoming freshmen, soph Latifah Coleman, junior Krista Gross and alums Jessica Breland, Kenya McBee, Alex Miller and Cetera DeGraffenreid.

Liston is in noticeably better shape and played well, scoring about 8 points and grabbing some rebounds. Peters struggled to score in the post but was otherwise quite active. Johnson was involved in a lot of plays but had trouble finishing. Henson was dominant, swatting away drives from the small Heel guards, grabbing rebounds and consistently hitting the mid-range jumper. Blue Magic dominated Lady McGladrey, pushing out to a 15 point lead before winning by 10. In a blast from the past, Mitchell missed her first five shots (including a couple from point-blank range), but hit a crucial stick-back and a step-back three that put the game away.