Locals leading way for Duke
Taina Mair and Oluchi Okananwa have been teammates for several years, but this is the first season the Massachusetts natives are shining on a national stage.
Mair, a sophomore from Dorchester, and Okananwa, a freshman from Peabody, are each averaging double-digit points for the Duke women’s basketball team. They’ve already played two Sunday matinees on ABC, and they will appear nationally on ESPN2 or the CW three more times during the regular season. The duo represents two of the Bay State’s most prominent hoops success stories.
“It’s definitely been a really cool experience that I never thought I’d be able to get — to be playing on national TV and all that,” Mair said. “I’m really grateful to be in this position.”
Duke is 6-4 and 32nd in the NCAA’s latest NET rankings. Two of those losses came against No. 1 South Carolina and No. 9 Stanford. It was the Stanford road game on Nov. 19, an 82-79 overtime defeat on ABC, where Okananwa proved she belonged, contributing 12 points and nine rebounds.
“It was the biggest of the biggest stages for my first time in college basketball,” she said. “You know Stanford — Coach [Tara]
VanDerveer, Cameron Brink — nothing easy.”
The college leap has looked easy for Okananwa, a Worcester Academy graduate The 5-foot-10-inch guard is averaging 10.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.1 steals off the bench, while making 52.4 percent of her 3pointers.
A self-proclaimed “free spirit” on the court, Okananwa appreciates how the Duke staff hasn’t tried to box her versatility into a one-dimensional role. She’s also honest about how her approach to learning the sport has transformed.
“I’m very open and humble enough to admit that my basketball IQ has been something I’ve lacked a lot in my years of basketball,” she said. “Just being able to understand reads, see certain open passes, read the defense — it’s always been something I’ve struggled with . . . But definitely what they’ve helped me with and emphasize is the mental side of the game, and really just learning how to play basketball at a higher level.”
Mair transferred to Duke after a stellar year at Boston College in which she set the Eagles’ rookie assist record (217) and landed on the All-ACC freshman team. She said the decision to transfer was hard, especially considering her hometown connection, but she believed she could find a better fit for her as a player and student.
While in the transfer portal, Mair felt Duke coach Kara Lawson made her a priority.
“She was looking for a point guard; I was the only point guard she talked to,” Mair said. “I just really saw she wanted me here.”
Mair is naturally quiet, but she had to step into a leadership role at BC, and has been encouraged to do so again on a young Duke team. She has started every game and leads the Blue Devils in scoring (12.2 points per game) and assists (3.9).
“I’ve got pretty high confidence right now,” Mair said. “We’ve definitely got to improve in a lot of spots. We’re still a young team, and over the season we’re going to keep getting better and better.”
Mair and Okananwa developed a friendship as teammates on Mass Rivals, and were often paired up as hotel room buddies for AAU trips. At Duke, they’ve grown much closer, and can often bond over their ties to Massachusetts.
“She’s honestly one of the easiest people for me to talk to, and that’s just something I naturally value in all my relationships,” Okananwa said.
Duke’s roster got a taste of the WNBA in an exhibition game against the US national team on Nov. 12. The Blue Devils expectedly took their lumps in the 87-58 loss but got to meet their idols.
“I had to guard Diana Taurasi off the rip, and she hit a three, first play of the game, and Brittney Griner hit me with a mean screen,” Mair said. “I’m standing there picking up Diana Taurasi full court, and in my head I’m literally like, ‘Damn, I’m really guarding Diana Taurasi right now.’ ”
“Huge, huge Arike Ogunbowale fan,” Okananwa said. “When I saw her in the flesh, I almost fainted. It was honestly just so surreal because we were going against women who are in the position we all hope to be in one day.”
The Blue Devils also had the chance to talk to the national team players and ask for advice. Okananwa internalized the US players’ message to emphasize the details that make up a professional mentality.
Mair had a meaningful 10-minute conversation with Taurasi about developing confidence in her game, and also received counsel from 2022 WNBA top overall pick Rhyne Howard on how to manage nerves.
“I usually get nervous before games and [Howard] was basically saying how she still gets nervous, too,” Mair said. “It’s just all part of basketball, but knowing that and having confidence in yourself going into the game — all you have to do is be yourself.”
Turner out indefinitely
Harvard announced that star guard Harmoni Turner will be out indefinitely after undergoing knee surgery as a result of an injury sustained Dec. 2 against Michigan . . . Merrimack guard Jayme DeCesare eclipsed 1,000 career points in a 49-45 loss to Dartmouth on Sunday . . . UMass snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 64-52 win against UMass Lowell Sunday.