For Canada's Shy Day-Wilson, success with Duke basketball is just the beginning

The arrow is pointing up for Canada's Shy Day-Wilson.

She was named her conference's freshman of the year while playing for the esteemed Duke basketball program last year.

The Toronto native then starred at an international U-23 tournament in her hometown over the summer, helping Canada roll to gold.

At five-foot-six and often overlooked — metaphorically and literally — it was, by all accounts, a monumental season for Day-Wilson.

Yet Duke head coach Kara Lawson said her Canadian starting point guard is just scratching the surface.

"I don't know that things have clicked yet for her. And what I mean by that is I think there's still a lot of room to grow," Lawson said. "I mean that as a compliment to Shy. She has a high level of skill, a high level of competitiveness. She really, really wants to win."

Day-Wilson, 19, led Duke in points per game (12.7), and assists per game (3.7) in her first season with the Blue Devils, but the team fell short of advancing to the NCAA tournament.

Her sophomore season begins on Monday with a visit from in-state rival North Carolina A&T.

Lawson said she expects Day-Wilson to improve just by virtue of being more settled into life as a college student, having adjusted to being away from home and juggling more difficult classes along with basketball.

Day-Wilson, though, doesn't plan to change her mindset.

"I'm not really too worried about what I did last year. It's just that it matters now. Like this is present. So it's just me staying locked in and just me keeping the same hunger," she said.

Day-Wilson first picked up a basketball during an after-school program at the Falstaff Community Centre near the hardscrabble Jane-and-Finch intersection.

She says it was love at first dribble. Elsewhere on