Even with Alana Beard out with injury all season and Chante Black & Mistie Bass opting to take the season off for personal reasons, there were still a number of Devils playing in the WNBA this year. Seven former Duke stars saw at least some playing time this year and three of them made it into the playoffs. Two former Duke players, Lindsey Harding & Alison Bales, made it all the way to the finals.

Alison Bales, Atlanta Dream. Ali had a solid third year in the W, stepping up to start when Sancho Lyttle was hurt and providing some solid scoring, rebound and shotblocking. For the year, she averaged 5 ppg, 5 rpg and blocked over 60 shots. In the playoffs, she contributed 3 ppg and 5 rpg. She helped the team survive its 3-9 start and was a key part of the rotation for a team that made it back to the WNBA finals for the second straight year. Her best game was a 15 point, 11 rebound performance in a big win against Indiana. Bales has carved out a nice niche in the WNBA, which is all the more impressive because she was out of the league for a year. She battled her way back in and has become a key player for a very good team. That's a tribute to her work ethic, her easygoing personality and lack of ego, and her unique skills for her size. Atlanta is smart enough to put her in the high post on offense, opening up the lane for cutters like Angel McCoughtry while allowing Ali to shoot open jumpers or else hit cutting players. I imagine she can be a pro for as long as she cares to, prior to starting her "next career" in medical school.

Alana Beard, Washington Mystics. Alana's foot was in much worse shape than had been reported, and as a result she didn't see a single minute of playing time this year. Some are speculating that her career may be over given the nagging nature of her injuries, but she has managed to come back from pretty severe circumstances. Hopefully she can get healthy as best she can so she can make the best decision for her.

Joy Cheek, Washington Mystics. Joy was cut in camp but got a three-game cup of coffee with Washington, averaging just five minutes a game. Right after that ended, she wound up back at Duke as an assistant.

Monique Currie, Washington Mystics. After rehabbing a torn ACL incurred overseas, Mo surprised many by playing late in the season, getting into four games. An even more pleasant surprise was that she played extremely well, averaging 12 ppg and 5 rpg. She even helped the Mystics pick up a rare win in her first game back.

Lindsey Harding, Atlanta Dream. Lindsey moved from Washington to Atlanta in the offseason, breaking up a good Mystics team but providing a key missing piece for the Dream. Lindsey got better and better as the season progressed, both because she became more comfortable with her new teammates but also because she had more targets to get the ball to once they got healthy. During the regular season, she averaged 10.5 ppg, 3 rpg and 4 apg. In the playoffs, she only got better, putting up 14.5 ppg, 3 rpg and 6 apg. She had 20 points against Minnesota in game 1 of the finals and 21 points against Connecticut in the first game of the playoffs. Her season high was 25 points against New York in a game that Atlanta desperately needed to win after a rough start. She had at least 7 assists on 13 different occasions. While the Dream fell once again to the team with the best record in the WNBA in the finals, it's clear that this is a team that's built to win for quite some time. If they can retain their personnel, they will have a chance to compete for the title every year, and Harding will be a big part of that.

Karima Christmas, Washington Mystics/Tulsa Shock. Karima was inconsistent in Washington and was released after 14 games. She averaged 3 ppg and 1 rpg, but a lot of that production came in just a couple of games. She was more consistent in Tulsa, the team that quickly snapped her up, though her averages were exactly the same. With her strength, leaping ability and rebounding, teams will always be willing to take a long look at her.

Jasmine Thomas, Washington Mystics. Jasmine started slow but finished strong as she earned six starts and averaged 6 ppg, 2 apg and 2 rpg. The Mystics' first round draft picked filled a big hole on the roster with the departure of Lindsey Harding and Katie Smith because Washington had few guards who could handle the ball. Given her comfort level at the end of the season, I wouldn't be surprised to see her hang on to that starting job next year.

Krystal Thomas, Seattle Storm/Phoenix Mercury. Krystal was a late draft pick of Seattle and rarely got off the bench for the defending champs before she was released. Phoenix quickly picked her up and she helped the size-starved Mercury, averaging 3 ppg and 1 rpg for a team that made it to the Western Conference Finals.

As for the rest of the ACC, let's look at the UNC pros first. Camille Little (Seattle Storm) continued to be a rock for her team, averaging 10 ppg and 5 rpg. Her team fell to Phoenix in the playoffs, where she stepped up to average 13 ppg and 6 rpg. Ivory Latta of the Tulsa Shock had a fine season, averaging 12 ppg, 2 rpg and 3 apg while shooting 35% from three. The Shock were awful and their performance wasn't aided by the fact that Latta sat out ten games with an injury. Disgraced former Olympian Marion Jones was finally cut after fourteen games; her appearance on the roster was more of a novelty than anything else, considering that she only averaged 1 ppg. Jessica Breland got cut by the New York Liberty after nine inconsistent games after averaging 2 ppg and 2 rpg. She was later picked up by Connecticut for four games but played a total of just seven minutes; her conditioning is still an issue after her illness. Hopefully, this is something that will improve over time, because she still has the skills. LaToya Pringle was a bench player for the LA Sparks, putting up 4 ppg and 2 rpg.

The Maryland contingent from their 2006 national title team has been playing fairly well. Marissa Coleman (Washington Mystics) had a modestly successful year as she stepped into Currie's starting job. She averaged 9 ppg and 5 rpg, but has yet to blossom into the star many thought she could become. On the other hand, Washington's Crystal Langhorne has become one of the best players in the league and was the ACC's sole representative in this year's All-Star game, where she scored 5 points. She led the Mystics in scoring at 18 ppg and also grabed 8 rpg as she shot 53% from the field. That was the best scoring average of her career, which included a 30-point game against Atlanta. Kristi Toliver was LA's third leading scorer at 11 ppg and also dished 3 apg while shooting an impressive 43% from three. Her most infamous moment of the season came when she was given a flagrant foul (but not a suspension) for elbowing Phoenix's Katia Swanier in the eye, causing her to bleed profusely.

Wrapping up the rest of the ACC, NC State's Chasity Melvin was one of the last cuts for Washington. FSU's Jacinta Monroe just got a cup of coffee this year with Tulsa for four games, averaging 1 rpg. Fellow Seminole Roneeka Hodges started five games for San Antonio, putting up 3 ppg and 2 apg. Kerri Gardin, formerly of Virginia Tech, started the year without a job but was quickly picked up by Team ACC, aka Washington, when it became official that Beard was out for the year. She averaged 1.5 ppg and 2 rpg as a dirty work sort of player. Virginia's Monica Wright came off the bench for the Minnesota Lynx. The other Hoo representative, DeMya Walker, was traded from Connecticut to Washington ten games into the season, adding to the Mystics ACC stable. She perked up her game in DC, averaging 6 ppg and 4 rpg. Finally, Georgia Tech's Alex Montgomery had a decent rookie year for New York, averaging 2.5 ppg and 2 rpg.