Q+a [alana Beard]

Duke 's All-America guard has 2,067 career points, just 165 shy of the the school's women's record held by Chris Moreland. The Blue Devils are ranked No. 4.

SI : Are you comfortable with people calling you the best player in the country?

Beard : Yeah, because that's what I want to be.

SI : How confident are you that Duke can win the national title this year?

Beard : Very confident. We have everything we need. We have an inside game and perimeter play. We have a point guard and a rebounding attack. And we have depth.

SI : You once said that if you could be on the cover of any magazine, it would be FORTUNE. What's the headline?

Beard: " Alana Beard : The Second Wealthiest African-American Woman in the World Behind Oprah Winfrey "!

SI : You've gone from being homesick and shy as a freshman and sophomore to being a very confident senior. What's helped you change and grow?

Beard : I always kept to myself. I was antisocial. But I've developed a group of friends who force me to talk and have fun, and they know nothing about basketball. That's the best thing any athlete can do: get friends that don't know anything about your sport and accept you as just another friend and not because you're that
basketball player.

SI : You grew up playing on a dirt court in your backyard in Shreveport , La. What's the key to beating your opponent on a dirt court?