See this story at BrooklynDaily.com.
By Joseph Staszewski
Brooklyn Daily
Christ the King rising senior wing Sierra Calhoun, a Brooklyn native, has verbally committed to play women’s basketball at Duke University.
Calhoun, the No. 10 ranked player in the country in her class, according to ESPN, chose the Blue Devils over UConn and Notre Dame. She built a strong relationship with Duke head coach Joanne P. McCallie, whose style of play fits Calhoun’s game.
“The relationship that I have with Coach P. and the rest of the coaching staff and the players made me feel like that was the place for me,” she said. “That was the place I wanted to be. Her vision for me is being an impact freshman as soon as I step on the campus at Duke.”
Calhoun, who plays her travel ball with the New York Gauchos, joins a Duke team that lost to eventual national champion Connecticut in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament last season and has been to two national title game since 1999. Christ the King coach Bob Mackey believes that the Blue Devils and the Atlantic Coast Conference are a perfect fit for her.
“It’s a great league where I think she will do really, really well,” Mackey said. “Joanne plays just such a great up-tempo, open kind of style that I think really fits Sierra.
Calhoun averaged 22 points and seven rebounds for the Royals last season. Her brother is Omar Calhoun, a rising sophomore on UConn’s men’s basketball team, but she made clear early on that she would chose her school based on which program was best for her, not on family ties.
“I feel like what Coach P. and what that coaching staff is putting together is knocking on the door of greatness,” Calhoun said. “I feel like it is only a matter of time before we win a national championship.”
The Blue Devils have become one of the premier women’s basketball programs, but it has yet to win a national championship. Calhoun believes Duke, which also offers a top-notch education, is closing in on a crown because she joins two top-100-ranked recruits in Azura Stephens and Erin Mathies in her recruiting class. They join rising junior point guard Alexis Jones on a talented and deep squad.
“Everyone is going to handle the ball,” Mackey said. “You are going to see Sierra pushing it up from the wing. It’s going to be a group effort, but I think she is going to be in a great situation.”
Reach reporter Joseph Staszewski at jstaszewski@cnglocal.com. Follow him on twitter @cng_staszewski.