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Greenwell Grateful to be Back on the Court
12/30/2014 9:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
By Leslie Gaber, GoDuke The Magazine
DURHAM, N.C.-- Rebecca Greenwell's performance in the Blue Devils' Nov. 16 season opener at Alabama was a long time in the making.
After sitting out the entire 2013-14 campaign rehabbing a knee injury sustained in high school, the 6-foot-1 guard from Owensboro, Ky., finally got her chance to contribute on the court, and she did just that. Joining true rookie Sierra Calhoun as the first freshman duo to appear in a season-opening starting lineup during head coach Joanne P. McCallie's tenure, Greenwell impressed from the opening tip. She totaled 17 points and 10 rebounds against the Crimson Tide to earn her first double-double.
The season opener was made even sweeter by the presence of numerous family members and friends, who traveled to Tuscaloosa to cheer on Greenwell in her first official game.
“They might be even more excited than I am, especially my mom,” Greenwell says. “My little sisters are definitely my No. 1 fans. They came out to the Alabama game and they also watch all my games online at home. They all get together in the living room and cheer me on. They're definitely my No. 1 support group.”
The year leading up to last month's opener required a lot of hard work and patience on Greenwell's part, however. She spent a significant amount of time in the training room rehabbing her injury and slowly working her way back to running and shooting. Greenwell was able to start participating in workouts last spring, but still had to watch from the sidelines on game days. When Duke's guard group was bitten by the injury bug down the stretch, many wondered what could have been were Greenwell healthy enough to step in.
Greenwell saw her redshirt year as an opportunity to learn from her teammates, particularly 2014 graduate Tricia Liston, the program's all-time leader in career three-point field goals made and a first-round selection in the WNBA draft.
“I really tried to watch Tricia last year,” Greenwell says. “With her graduating, I had some big shoes to fill. I'm not specifically taking her spot or anything but I've tried to mirror my game off of hers a little bit. I think that's showed some.”
“She definitely had to watch and learn, learn more about technique and learn more about balance and patience and play-making,” McCallie says of her young shooting guard. “I think she's just absorbed things like a sponge, really tried to see what people could do out there, and now it's her turn. It's her turn to grow her game every day and to take on everything. She's got a big appetite for that, and that serves her very well as a player.”
Fans got their first glimpse of Greenwell's potential at the program's annual Blue-White scrimmage in late October, where the redshirt freshman buried six three-pointers and led all scorers with 18 points. She continued her dazzling display of long-range shooting during Duke's two exhibition contests, all the while cherishing her first few chances to play in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
“Being out there and getting my name introduced in Cameron, it's an awesome feeling,” she says. “Cameron is an awesome gym with a lot of rich tradition. It's an honor to play here.”
Greenwell went on a scoring tear during her first month of play, reaching double figures in each of Duke's first six contests. She topped the 20-point mark twice in November and has found herself in elite company on the Blue Devils' all-time freshman single season charts. In particular, her 92 points through the first six games ranked as the fourth most by a Duke rookie, putting her behind the likes of only Chris Moreland, Alana Beard and Katie Meier.
Though pleased with what she's been able to accomplish so far in her young career, Greenwell attributes her success to the play of her teammates. She cites the Blue Devils' balanced scoring attack as a critical component to the team's fast start.
“We're such a versatile group,” she says. “That makes us a big threat to other teams because any game we could have a different high scorer — you never know who's going to step up because we're all so talented and versatile. That's definitely going to give us an edge against other teams with our length and our size and skills.”
While joining senior Ka'lia Johnson, transfer Mercedes Riggs and freshmen Sierra Calhoun and Azurá Stevens to form a dynamic guard group, Greenwell has also been one of the team's leaders on the boards. She posted double-digit rebounding in four of Duke's first nine games, a trend she hopes to continue moving forward. McCallie agrees, noting the all-around skills required to elevate a player from good to special.
“Becca is unique in her own right,” McCallie said. “She's been through so much in high school and so much last year with not being able to play. But she has stayed the course, been very focused, has an incredible work ethic and is one of the most competitive people I know. She wants to play, she wants to compete and she's not afraid of anything. She's willing to try anything to be better.”
Greenwell remains focused on continuing her development as the Blue Devils deal with a tough stretch of games in December and January. Through it all, though, Greenwell says she is grateful for the opportunity to return to the court and to have the support of all those around her as she embarks on the beginning of what looks to be a special career.
“The anticipation building up to finally being able to play at the college level has been great,” she says. “Just to be out there finally is an awesome feeling. Our team overall has gotten off to a great start. Individually, my confidence level is rising and that's helping me to play the way I have been playing. I couldn't do it without the help of my teammates. They're constantly looking for me, and we play really well together so I think that's helped us all out.”
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