Mystics' Monique Currie Is Duke's “Original Badass”

During the off season, DWHoops.com ranked Mystics’ Monique Currie the No. 3 women’s player in Duke history. It’s an accurate ranking, as is the site’s outrage that Mo’s college jersey has not been retired.

Mo, who grew up in the DMV and played high school ball at Bullis in Potomac, is taking her talents to Turkey during the Mystics off-season. In between adjusting to the time change and learning to survive on foreign soil, we were able to catch up with her in an email chat to discuss the ranking and her title of Duke’s “original badass.”

The article calls you "Duke's original badass." What's up with that reputation? Do you consider yourself a "badass?"

Lol "Bad Ass." If that’s what you want to call it then so be it. I think it’s just that I’m tough on the court and don’t take a lot of mess when it comes down to it. I want to win and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen. If it means making sure someone feels a foul or giving them a serious scowl then that’s what I’ll do.

They also refer to your on-court scowl, which I don't think I've seen. Have your Mystics teammates told you that you scowl?

OMG, that’s all they ever talk about! The faces I make. I think I have a permanent crease in my forehead from scowling so much. It’s just that when things don’t make sense to me or aren't going my way I tend to frown. My mom is always telling me I need to smile more. But I tell her I'll smile once the game is over.

You accomplished a lot in your years at Duke, but Alana's numbers are all just a bit higher. Does she ever tease you about that?

Alana was a great player at Duke and deserves all the recognition she’s received. She doesn’t tease me about anything because she knows that we've both accomplished a lot together. A lot of our achievements were done playing together so it was never a matter of teasing one another. It’s more a thing of challenging each other.

Do you think your number should be retired?

If it were up to me, of course I think my number should be retired! But the rules are the rules and I didn’t win National player of the year. No worries though, they still know who I am down in Durham, whether my jersey is in the rafters or not. Just ask about me.   

Questions, comments or tips? Email Sarah at sarahskogod@gmail.com. You can also follow her on Twitter (@sarahschorno).

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