Mercedes Riggs ready to make an impact for Duke
DURHAM (WTVD) -- You know the humble saying, "Act like you've been here before?"
Well, Mercedes Riggs is living it right now.
"Mercedes has been a real breath of fresh air," said Duke Women's Basketball head coach Joanne P. McCallie. "She's just ready to play at this level."
Riggs, a junior guard out of Lindon, Utah, posted two tremendous seasons at the JUCO level and helped lead her Salt Lake Community College squad to an NJCAA National tournament appearance last season.
Even with the accomplishments, Riggs still had critics, which is why she loves to continue to prove them wrong.
"I thrive on that," she said. "It's pressure, but it's fun."
A majority of the doubtful comments pertain to her height. At 5'7", many scouts consider her undersized for the college game.
"She's maybe not tall in stature, I'll tell you, but she's one of the biggest heart kids I've ever seen," said McCallie.
Despite the Blue Devils' approval, Riggs's journey to Cameron Indoor Stadium almost didn't happen.
"She was probably going to go to Brigham Young University," McCallie said, "but we were able to come in and explain to her the incredible opportunity she had at Duke."
The find also came during the late signing period for the Blue Devils, who scoured the country for point guard prospects last winter after a knee injury knocked out point guard Alexis Jones. Jones later transferred to Baylor during the offseason.
With a handful of potential replacements plucked, Riggs separated herself from her fellow candidates in one pertinent way.
"She was the only one who could get in to Duke," McCallie said.
Riggs, a 4.0 student in high school, met Duke's rigorous academic standards and ultimately chose her new school based on the figurative growth it could provide her, both in the classroom and on the court.
"My potential wasn't limited here. I felt like Coach P had a lot of belief in me, as well as the whole coaching staff, and I felt like I could do a lot more for this team than I could for those other schools," Riggs said. "I felt like my impact and my influence would be made a lot more here."
Now, her new teammates can't quit boasting about their diamond in the rough.
"Even though she played on a junior college team before, we always tell her, 'No matter if you came from a junior college, you're here now, so you're a Duke Blue Devil,'" said senior guard Ka'lia Johnson.
"Mercedes is great. She's come in quickly and proven herself as a leader," said senior All-American Elizabeth Williams. "She's one of the hardest working people, always putting in extra shots, in great shape - I'm just excited to play with her and see what she can do because she's already brought a lot and a big spark to the team."
That spark has blossomed into a fire, rooted from Riggs's passion for the game, and so far, she says the process has been worth it.
"It's been really fun. Hard, competitive, but it's been worth it the whole time because obviously I'm achieving my dream in just not only being here, but what we're trying to do as a team in winning a national championship."
