Rob Clough's countdown of the top 10 players in Duke Women's Basketball history continues with his selection for #5, Lindsey Harding. Harding wore #10 for the Blue Devils, a number that was retired a year after her playing career ended in 2007. For that senior season she was named Naismith and ESPN.com National Player of the Year as well as WBCA Defensive Player of the Year. She currently anchors the backcourt of the WNBA Atlanta Dream.

Lindsey Harding

Unlike some of her teammates, Lindsey Harding was not a highly-ranked recruit. Playing at a high school where she was forced to do everything, she played in the shadow of several other big-time Texas high school guards. Lindsey had come to Duke's basketball camp and Gail Goestenkors knew what she had in her: a one-woman fast break. A former track athlete, Harding brought a kind of athleticism to the ACC that was matched only by UNC's Marion Jones. Her savant skill was her leaping ability, which allowed her to become a great rebounding guard.

There's no question that Lindsey was the greatest point guard to ever play at Duke. She still holds the school career record for assists and her 2:1 assist/turnover ratio trails only Vicki Krapohl, a player who never ventured into the lane. For the first three seasons of her career, Lindsey was a role player who got the ball into the hands of of Beard or Currie and concentrated on defense & pushing the pace. She would have the occasional spectacular game but was usually a third or fourth offensive option. In part, she was limited by a lack of a great jump shot. That all changed as a senior, when she became the team's primary scorer by design. Harding had sat out a year in 2005 but had noticeably improved her shot when she came back for her junior season. In 2007, her shot had been finely honed and made her ability to penetrate all the more dangerous.

Leading Duke to an undefeated regular season, she earned a number of player of the year honors along with ACC player of the year. She earned her jersey retirement with this capper of a season and rode it all the way to being the #1 pick in the WNBA draft. Harding took a team that had lost three stars to graduation and another to injury and whipped it into a tough-minded squad that could score and defend against nearly everyone. With no other genuine stars on that squad, Lindsey's nurturing presence meant everything for Duke, and she responded with a number of huge scoring games to go along with her usual goal of controlling the game's tempo. "The Blur", as I called her, combined exciting play with rock-solid fundamentals and keen floor vision.

Our top ten will continue late next week with Rob's pick for the fourth greatest player in Duke Women's Basketball history...