U.S. Women’s National Team exhibition vs. Duke about more than just playing basketball

Corry Hendricks didn’t tell his 10-year old daughter, Heaven, which team Duke women’s basketball was playing Sunday.

So when Heaven walked into Cameron Indoor Stadium after making the trip with her father from Rocky Mount and saw the USA Basketball Women’s National Team, she freaked out.

“I started yelling out my lungs,” Heaven said with a smile, later joking that her voice was nearly gone.

Heaven said she was most excited to see Rhyne Howard and Diana Taurasi — both of whom inspire her playing style — and, especially, Brittney Griner.

“I love watching her,” Heaven said of Griner. “It’s like, when I watch her, it’s a little spark I feel with her.”

The US Women’s National Team defeated Duke, 87-58, in an exhibition game that drew roughly 3,357 fans, according to organizers. While the event served as a valuable training session for the U.S. players, as well as a test of the Blue Devils’ ability to play at a high level, the biggest impact of Sunday’s matchup occurred off the court.

For USA guard Sabrina Ionescu, the game represented a microcosm of the massive growth of women’s basketball nationally — from skyrocketing viewership to fans in attendance.

“It’s starting in college and in high school,” Ionescu said in a Q&A following the game. “It’s starting at a young age with the fan base continuing to grow and support a lot of these players that deserve to be supported and then following them to the WNBA.”

Alice Qin and Anu Aggarwal are both students at Duke and self-proclaimed big-time women’s basketball fans. To back up her claim, Aggarwal said she attended 10 WNBA games this summer. Aggarwal said Sunday she was excited not only to see the “best of the best” pro players, but also the publicity the event brought to Duke.

“I’ve been following the teams for a long time so I knew all the players on the court,” she said. “It was just so exciting to see.”

Qin remembers watching USA’s Arike Ogunbowale compete against Duke when the Dallas Wings guard played at Notre Dame. She said seeing her play in person alongside stars like Griner and Taurasi “meant a lot.”

Tim Lovelace, a Duke faculty member and women’s basketball season-ticket holder, watched the game from the baseline, with his daughter, Lillian, in his lap.

“My daughter is 7 years old and is learning basketball, so she gets to see a piece of history when she sees Diana Taurasi play,” he said.

Following a postgame interview session with USA head coach Cheryl Reeve and guard Kahleah Copper — in the middle of Coach K Court — Ionescu was beckoned over to the stands with a loud, “Sabrinaaaaa!”

A crowd of fans began to jump up and down as she jogged to greet them. For the next 10 minutes, Ionescu signed shirts, jerseys and shoes. She posed for selfies with kids, adults and babies. Multiple fans in Oregon merchandise, displaying her her alma mater’s logo on their hoodie or jersey, gave Ionescu a hug or simply exchanged a few words.

But two of her biggest fans in attendance weren’t mixed in that jumbled postgame crowd.

Twelve-year-old Zoey and 11-year-old Emersyn had already gotten in on the action, as Ionescu signed their matching New York Liberty jerseys before the game. As they recalled the moment, they didn’t offer up many words — just “exciting” and “cool,” paired with big grins that did all the talking for them.

“All it takes is one player to connect with one young kid, (and) that changes their perspective, whether it’s a little girl or little boy,” Reeve told reporters as she reflected on the game. “It’s just incredibly meaningful in terms of what they got to see today.”