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Women’s Hoops Holds First Week of Practice
9/27/2025 8:30:00 AM | Women's Basketball
DURHAM, N.C. – Preparations for the upcoming 2025-26 college basketball season are officially underway for Duke women's basketball, as the team held its first week of practice.
"It was fun to officially get things started," said head coach Kara Lawson. "There was a lot of excitement. You could see it; you could feel it. There was a lot of good energy in the gym."
Leading up to the week was a long summer and preseason of hard work, which saw the Blue Devils place an emphasis on their conditioning, along with both mental and physical toughness.
"We prioritized our conditioning, our unity and just doing everything necessary to be able to compete at a high level together," senior Ashlon Jackson said. "We knew that would start with our bodies and our mental toughness, and coach has really harped on that throughout the preseason."
Connectivity was also at the forefront of the preseason work, as the Blue Devils look to continue strengthening their tight-knit Sisterhood bond.
"We wanted to continue building our chemistry," said junior Jadyn Donovan. "We have a lot of people coming back, but we also have some critical new pieces. So, just continuing to build that togetherness was really important."
Duke enters the 2025-26 season with a veteran-laden team led by Jackson, an All-ACC Second Team selection, reigning ACC Rookie of the Year Toby Fournier and three starters – Donovan, Taina Mair and Delaney Thomas. Overall, the Blue Devils return 10 letterwinners from their 2024-25 squad that won 29 games, captured the 2025 Ally ACC Tournament Championship and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight. With eight upperclassmen, the expectation and understanding of what it takes to be successful is second nature.
"One thing I noticed over the preseason is that everyone has gotten better," said Thomas. "Everyone is looking different and that's what we need as a team. We're a veteran group and have a lot of experience. I think we can use that to our advantage, especially down the stretch."
Duke will supplement its experienced core with five newcomers, including three McDonald's All- Americans in redshirt sophomore Riley Nelson, redshirt freshman Arianna Roberson and freshman Emilee Skinner. Meshing this influx of talent will be crucial to the team's success. The Blue Devils are already seeing some early rewards.
"Incorporating the newcomers has been pretty seamless," said Jackson. "They're locked in and eager to learn. They want to grow. They want to get better and help us get better as a team. So, it's been easy to teach and lead them. We all hold each other accountable and learn from one another every day. It's been great seeing the pieces of the puzzle come together."
The Blue Devils tip off the 2025-26 season Nov. 3 in Paris, France, where Duke will square off against Baylor as part of the Oui-Play Paris event.
To stay up to date with Duke women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and subscribe to the YouTube channel by searching "DukeWBB."
#GoDuke
"It was fun to officially get things started," said head coach Kara Lawson. "There was a lot of excitement. You could see it; you could feel it. There was a lot of good energy in the gym."
Leading up to the week was a long summer and preseason of hard work, which saw the Blue Devils place an emphasis on their conditioning, along with both mental and physical toughness.
"We prioritized our conditioning, our unity and just doing everything necessary to be able to compete at a high level together," senior Ashlon Jackson said. "We knew that would start with our bodies and our mental toughness, and coach has really harped on that throughout the preseason."
Connectivity was also at the forefront of the preseason work, as the Blue Devils look to continue strengthening their tight-knit Sisterhood bond.
"We wanted to continue building our chemistry," said junior Jadyn Donovan. "We have a lot of people coming back, but we also have some critical new pieces. So, just continuing to build that togetherness was really important."
Duke enters the 2025-26 season with a veteran-laden team led by Jackson, an All-ACC Second Team selection, reigning ACC Rookie of the Year Toby Fournier and three starters – Donovan, Taina Mair and Delaney Thomas. Overall, the Blue Devils return 10 letterwinners from their 2024-25 squad that won 29 games, captured the 2025 Ally ACC Tournament Championship and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight. With eight upperclassmen, the expectation and understanding of what it takes to be successful is second nature.
"One thing I noticed over the preseason is that everyone has gotten better," said Thomas. "Everyone is looking different and that's what we need as a team. We're a veteran group and have a lot of experience. I think we can use that to our advantage, especially down the stretch."
Duke will supplement its experienced core with five newcomers, including three McDonald's All- Americans in redshirt sophomore Riley Nelson, redshirt freshman Arianna Roberson and freshman Emilee Skinner. Meshing this influx of talent will be crucial to the team's success. The Blue Devils are already seeing some early rewards.
"Incorporating the newcomers has been pretty seamless," said Jackson. "They're locked in and eager to learn. They want to grow. They want to get better and help us get better as a team. So, it's been easy to teach and lead them. We all hold each other accountable and learn from one another every day. It's been great seeing the pieces of the puzzle come together."
The Blue Devils tip off the 2025-26 season Nov. 3 in Paris, France, where Duke will square off against Baylor as part of the Oui-Play Paris event.
To stay up to date with Duke women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and subscribe to the YouTube channel by searching "DukeWBB."
#GoDuke
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