Assistant coach Trisha Stafford-Odom leaves Duke, takes similar job at UNC

This situation is likely the confluence of a coach who was unhappy in her position at Duke (despite inheriting the lead recruiter job with Sam Williams' departure) with the only available assistant coaching job in the area. Given that her duties will be precisely the same at UNC as they were at Duke, one can only assume that she wasn't happy here for whatever reason. I will assume that she didn't take another job given that she has a young family that she may not have wanted to uproot again after taking them cross-country, and the UNC job coming up was an unexpected but ideal solution. To say that this is a public relations nightmare for Duke and coach McCallie is an understatement, to say the least. That's especially true given that Stafford-Odom has been tweeting angry, quasi-cryptic blasts from Twitter the whole time, adding to the embarrassment factor both for Duke and for Stafford-Odom herself, frankly.

Special assistant Chris Carrawell leaves Duke

Hired just a few months ago, former men's special assistant Chris Carrawell had taken a similar post with the women's team when Jeff Capel was hired as a new men's assistant. While his new job is uncertain, it's said that he will take a job of some kind in the NBA (a league currently shut down by a lockout) possibly with the New Jersey Nets. While this is unlikely to be directly related to TSO's departure, the timing is not great for Duke's image.

Duke hires Joy Cheek (T '10) as the new women's assistant Duke wisely struck quickly in hiring a new assistant. Cheek has no prior coaching experience, but this is an intriguing and creative hire for a number of reasons. First, hiring an alum who played for the coach in question can help create continuity. That will be invaluable considering that assistants most often act as buffers between the head coach and the players; having someone who actually played for McCallie at Duke could be a big plus. Second, Cheek is a personable, charismatic person who has a chance to be great on the recruiting trail. Third, Cheek has ties to both the DC area as well as North Carolina, two important recruiting spots. Her first order of business, when appropriate, will be calling Alexis Jones and then calling all of the other 2012, 2013 and 2014 targets.

Top-five recruit Alexis Jones commits to Duke

The 5-8 point guard from Irving, TX committed to Duke a couple of weeks ago, picking Duke over Baylor and Tennessee. The lefty is incredibly quick, crafty and has unbelievable court vision. She's a solid shooter but is best known for her ability to finish at the rim. Pairing her with Chelsea Gray will give Duke a truly formidable backcourt.

Tricia Liston is MVP of the Greater NC Pro-Am playoffs

WNBA'ers Christmas and K.Thomas cut but land with new teams

Karima Christmas was cut from the Washington Mystics while Krystal Thomas was cut from the Seattle Storm. Karima landed a spot with the woefully awful Tulsa Shock while Krystal has wound up with the Phoenix Mercury, a club in much better shape.

Looking at other WNBA players of interest, Jasmine Thomas has remained a fixture in DC but fellow Mystics Alana Beard and Monique Currie have each missed the entire 2011 season due to injury. Atlanta's roster still includes two former Blue Devils, with Lindsey Harding starting and Alison Bales coming off the bench.