Rob Clough's countdown of the top 10 players in Duke Women's Basketball history continues with his selection for #8, Jasmine Thomas. Thomas wore #5 for the Blue Devils from 2008-2011, capping her career with two ACC Tournament MVP awards as Duke went back-to-back.

Jasmine Thomas cuts the nets in Greensboro after Duke second consecutive ACC title.

No great player has had to do more heavy lifting in Duke history than Jasmine Thomas. She had to play for a coach she wasn't expecting while replacing a legend in Lindsey Harding. More of a two guard who could pass than a true point guard, Jasmine nonetheless had to shoulder the load of initiating the offense for the first three years of her career. Playing for a team that ran a basic, vanilla style of offense, Jasmine had to rely on improvisation, her ability to run and jump and sheer doggedness to score. For much of her junior and senior seasons, she was the only Duke player who could consistently get their own shot and who could do it game after game.

Slowly but surely, Thomas adjusted to this style of play, even if it came at the cost of efficiency. A sub-40% shooter for her career, Thomas never cared about shots she missed--just shots that she had an opportunity to make. By her senior season, she became an assassin down the stretch in close games. She made the game-winning or go-ahead shot in a number of games and also made any number of key defensive plays as well. Her savant ability was timing on her shot-blocking, an underrated skill that allowed her to snuff out many a last-second attempt by opponents. Jasmine finished up as the #7 scorer in Duke history, #5 in assists, #3 in steals, #14 in blocks (and the only player in the top 20 shorter than 5-10), and #3 in threes. While she was never ACC player of the year, she was a Wooden Award finalist and a second-team All-American by the AP.

Our top ten will continue later this week with our seventh greatest player in Duke Women's Basketball history...