Duke University earned a thrilling 70-65 overtime victory against Louisville University in the Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Basketball Championship on Sunday in Duluth, Georgia, thanks to point guard Taina Mair ’22 (and that’s not just our Brooks School pride talking).

Mair was named first team and ACC All-Tournament Team MVP for her performance — 19 points and 12 rebounds!

“I work hard, like, every day,” she said in a postgame press conference, reflecting on the victory — Duke’s 10th ACC tournament title. “I just try to be the best version of myself for everybody who surrounds me.”

Mair’s hard work (evident back in her Brooks School days when she was named the 2021-2022 Gatorade Massachusetts Girls Basketball Player of the Year) has been paying off all year.

In November, she made history for the Duke team when she recorded her 1000th career point and her 500th career assist. Mair is one of only five players in the entire history of the program to accomplish that milestone. 

The senior, who transferred from Boston College after her freshman season, has been Duke’s starting point guard for the past three years. She plays a major role in the backcourt for the team, averaging 12.1 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per game.

No stranger to success, Mair helped her team reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament last year. “Champion” is a word she’s frequently linked to, after all.

During high school, Mair was a 2020 and 2022 NEPSAC Class B champion, averaged more than 18 points per game in three straight seasons and was named the 2020 NEPSAC Class B Player of the Year.

Learn about Brooks School's athletic commitment to excellence.

Brooks School recognized her achievements at graduation, with one of the two annual Frank D. Ashburn Athletic Awards honoring “an outstanding individual or team performance in which intangible, extra qualities have added a special flavor to the school.”

Read all about Mair’s career accolades on Duke’s athletic website.