Former Blue Devil Talks Leadership in the WNBA

Former Duke point guard Jasmine Thomas recently spoke about taking on a leadership role with the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA.

Former Blue Devil Jasmine Thomas is only heading into her seventh season in the WNBA, but she’s the most experienced player on the roster for a young Connecticut Sun team. Thomas recently opened up about taking on a leadership role as they prepare for the upcoming season.

As the most veteran player on her team, Jasmine Thomas knows she has to lead in order for them to succeed. She has improved to become “an extension of the coaching staff” on the court and has started every game for the last two seasons. Thomas describes a leader as “someone who is ready to go – on and off the court – at any moment in time”. As her career goes on, Thomas talks about how she has grown to take on more of a leadership role. Sun head coach Curt Miller had this to say about the former Duke guard:

"“We really are so fortunate to have her. She does so many things for us that never appear on a box score, and many things that obviously do. She has the ability to provide a sense of comfort on the floor. Her leadership is huge. And she is such a professional in terms of setting an example to our young players for how to carry yourself on and off the court.”"

Jasmine Thomas starred for her career at Duke as an All-American guard. The 5-9 point guard is ranked Top 10 in program history for points (7th), field goals (7th), three pointers (3rd), assists (5th), steals (3rd), games played (5th), games started (4th), total minutes (2nd), and more. She helped lead Duke Women’s Basketball to back-to-back ACC titles in 2010 and 2011, becoming one of the few players in conference history to win multiple Tournament MVP honors.

Thomas was selected in the first round of the 2011 WNBA Draft by the Washington Mystics. She’s averaged 8.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game for her professional career. Thomas is coming off a great year in the WNBA. She averaged career-highs of 11.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists last season.

Next: Duke Forward Selected in 2017 WNBA Draft

The WNBA is currently in preseason action before the regular season kicks off on May 13th. Be sure to keep checking out Ball Durham for more updates on Thomas and other former Blue Devils in the WNBA!