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Mechelle VoepelESPN.com
Duke girls’s basketball has added six transfers to its 2021-22 workforce, coach Kara Lawson introduced Friday. The Blue Devils performed simply 4 video games earlier than opting out of this previous season, Lawson’s first as head coach, due to COVID-19 considerations. The transfers are anticipated to be a giant issue for Duke in 2021-22.
Guard Celeste Taylor, who helped lead Texas to the NCAA Elite Eight this season, headlines the group. She averaged 12.three factors and four.9 rebounds per sport for the Longhorns as a sophomore. Fellow former Huge 12 guards Lexi Gordon of Texas Tech and Jordyn Oliver of Baylor are also headed to Duke.
Gordon was the Woman Raiders’ second-leading scorer this previous season (15.7 PPG) as a starter and is a graduate switch. Oliver got here off the bench for the league champion Woman Bears and averaged four.zero PPG as a sophomore.
Additionally becoming a member of the Blue Devils are guard/ahead Elizabeth Balogun of Louisville, middle Amaya Finklea-Guity of Syracuse and ahead Imani Lewis of Wisconsin.
Lewis began 84 video games in three seasons at Wisconsin, averaging 15.zero factors and eight.eight rebounds this previous season. Balogun was ACC freshman of the yr for Georgia Tech in 2019, however then spent her final two years at Louisville, averaging 5.eight factors this previous season. Finklea-Guity, a grad switch, began 96 video games with the Orange, however was in a reserve function this previous season, averaging three.four factors per sport.
“We needed to be aggressive in going after gamers that match how we wish to play,” Lawson stated in an announcement. “There are a pair issues that we worth extremely. One is versatility. The opposite is two-way gamers — gamers that may make an impression on each ends. All of those gamers can do this.”