Asia Durr started playing basketball at the age of 3, and as long as she can remember, she has wanted to play in the WNBA.
While she held this aspiration from a young age, it wasn’t always her main focus. Durr said she never got ahead of herself, just worked through each phase of her basketball career to get to where she is today. The reality of her life-long dream sank in recently. Louisville lost in its Elite Eight matchup against Connecticut on March 31, and with the loss, Durr’s collegiate career with the Cardinals ended.
Her story with basketball isn’t over. Durr’s dream is coming true as she is projected to be drafted high in the first round Wednesday night during the WNBA Draft.
“She's a very fine player. She’s one of the few players that can go get her own shot on a consistent and quality basis,” Bill Laimbeer, president of basketball operations and head coach of the Las Vegas Aces, said during a media conference call. “Whether she’s a starter, that’s a tough one. You’ve got to go out and actually throw the ball up in training camp and see who wins. But she’s on our radar, there’s no question about that. A guard who can get her own shot is something we don’t really have, so she’s right there for us.”
Durr, who is from Douglasville, feels prepared for this next stage of her career. Each stage, from middle school to high school to college, groomed her to succeed in playing professional basketball. While that doesn’t negate her feelings of excitement or nervousness, she’s ready to see what happens Wednesday night and where the next stage of her career will take her.
Her earned accolades demonstrate her success at Louisville. Durr was named AP First Team All-American for two straight seasons, the first player in Louisville history to be named twice as an AP First Team All-American. She also earned back-to-back ACC Player of the Year honors in her junior and senior years.
In conjunction with the accolades, Durr finished her time at Louisville with 2,485 points and 374 made 3-pointers. She ranks first overall in the ACC in made 3-pointers, and fifth in points. She averaged 21.2 points per game during her final year at Louisville.
Her success on the court dates to high school, when she played at St. Pius. She finished her high school career with 2,764 points and 706 rebounds, along with numerous awards.
Her talent in scoring, paired with her abilities to read the game and understand what is required in game to succeed, are qualities about her game she thinks will help her succeed in the WNBA.
“You know I love to score,” Durr said. “To be honest, it’s one of those things where it’s a physical league and you’ve got to be able to score and you’ve got to be able to facilitate and direct traffic. It’s a lot of things you’ve got to be able to do in the league, which is why not everybody can get to that point.”
The opportunity to play with the top talent, along with contributing to a team in any way she can, fields her excitement for draft night and her subsequent days in the league.
“It’s just another chapter in my career, playing past college, so I’m excited,” Durr said. “I get to play ball again. I get to do what I love, which is hoops.”
