More:Status remains uncertain for Notre Dame's Olivia Miles heading into ACC Tournament ND went 10 . Initially, women's basketball was played as a club sport. Head Coach. 7 Seed UNC, Donovan Named 2023 Jersey Mike's Naismith HS Girls First Team All-American, Taylor Crowned ACC Defensive Player of the Year, Taylor Tabbed Semifinalist for Naismith Womens Defensive Player of the Year. Kara Lawson. 15 in the AP Poll before a sharp decline that caused them to miss the NCAA tournament. Later that season on International Women's Day (March 8) in 2020, Stevens was asked his opinion of Lawson. And even though Lawson left the team after the 2020 season, the two still keep in touch. She's elite at what she does. Notre Dame won the regular season and claimed the ACC tournament's top seed. Kara Marie Lawson (born February 14, 1981) is the head coach of the Duke Blue Devils women's basketball team. Volleyball Wrestling Duke University Athletics Department Mailing Address:PO Box 90555, Durham, NC 27708 Department Shipping Address:Scott Family Athletics Performance Center, Room 364, 110. Jacob Camenker is a senior content producer at The Sporting News. Taylor is a highly skilled elite athlete with an incredibly high basketball IQ. She held an incredible streak of 14 consecutive 20-point games, the second-longest ever in NCAA Men's or . Feb. 23, 2023. On Tuesday night against N.C. State, Duke added a 19th undefeated season in Cameron Indoor Stadium to the books. There has been a complete transformation that has turned the Blue Devil defense into a nationally terrifying unit. Special Assistant to the Head Coach. The team is 23-1 when it keeps opponents under that number, with the lone loss coming 45-41 in Sundays regular-season finale to North Carolina. "We have concluded through our investigation that it was a men's ball," Lawson later added." Corosdale, Jordyn Terms of Service @Scalabrine explains why he thinks Kara Lawson is the best candidate for the Celtics' new head coach: pic.twitter.com/uOqYb7tnFQ. Its all the other movement defensively that were asking her to do at 6-6 and its super impressive that she can do it consistently well.. Lawson, a former Tennessee player who spent the past year as an assistant with the NBA's Boston Celtics, was hired by Duke on July 11. I think thats really really key, being connected and trusting each other. The official Women's Basketball Coach List for the Duke University Women's Basketball Coaches - Duke University Skip To Main Content Pause All Rotators Skip To Main Content. I think she'll do a great, great job for us.". Honestly, I think people miss being coached, she tells us over Zoom. Lange. Beyond her work with Smart, Lawson left a lasting impression on Celtics players with her ability to connect with players. While the numbers emphasize the improvement on the defensive end, there are some things that they can not explain. I need that. For this reason, Lawson believes that people yearn to have a great coach. Senior forward Jada Boyd shoots the ball during the game against Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Thursday. You handle hard better. The independent news organization of Duke University. Eat well. On Tuesday night, head coach Jon Scheyer 's first Duke basketball team held on to beat the visiting NC State Wolfpack (22-9, 12-8 ACC), 71-67. Once you figure that out, then everything becomes attainable., #6: No Matter Our Age or Gender, We All Must Support the Future Female Leaders, One of the most important things we can do is believe in others, says Lawson. Learn more at: www.staceyannlindsay.com. Women's Basketball Coaching Staff. Karen Lange joins Duke's coaching staff after the departure of Beth Cunningham. It didnt take long for assistant coach Karen Lange who had just joined the staff in April and works closely with the guards to realize the Blue Devils could be an aggressive man-to-man squad. The independent news organization of Duke University. Jonathan Levitan is a Trinity junior and sports editor of The Chronicle's 118th volume. I've gotten so many messages of people just telling their story and how this has helped them, she says. Head Coach. Shortly after she came aboard, Stevens spoke well of her during her first NBA Summer League experience. Journalism Above the Noise. Head Coach. We all need that. Brown, in her first season at Duke after transferring from Oregon State, is a major disruptor around the basket standing at 6-foot-6. Then gosh darn January comes, and it doesn't settle. 18 UNC in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals at Greensboro Coliseum on Friday. NC State women's basketball has become accustomed to success in the last few seasons. facebook Beths experience having been a head coach for many years, having been at a top program at Notre Dame, having learned and coached with Muffet McGraw, a Hall of Fame coach, having been at Final Fours, having won a national championship; there is so much she brings to the table for Duke. After playing professionally, she began as an assistant coach at Virginia Commonwealth in 2001 before becoming head coach two years later and staying in that role until 2012. Theyre starting to come into the huddle, and theyll offer suggestions which is awesome. Take time away when you need a break. Without it, a plan is just that an idea on paper. Think about it: At some point, most of us played sports of some kind. Balogun was Duke's top scorer with 11 points. Fittingly, a defensive play ended UNC's chances when Reigan Richardson blocked a 3-point shot attempt by Kennedy Todd-Williams with 4 seconds on the clock and the Tar Heels trailing by three points. Kara Lawson is all-in as Duke's women's basketball coach: 'I understand the stakes' Why the hiring of the former WNBA star and Celtics assistant is significant Kara Lawson on leaving the Celtics to become Duke's women's basketball coach | Golic and Wingo Watch on By Sean Hurd July 22, 2020 A nine-hour drive can be an opportunity to reflect. I don't think you can watch our team and not like how they play and not get behind them, because they play so gosh darn hard, said Lawson after a victory against Virginia Tech Jan. 26. . Who is Kara Lawson? Thats our next challenge because they have slipped a little bit in league play.. There is no additional information to display. View Full Bio, Celeste (1:15) Facebook They give us tremendous effort. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. With the loss of the two top frontcourt pieces, Onome Akinbode-James and Jade Williams, along with a slew of key pieces, Lawson needed to revamp the roster. "It's very frustrating that [the game] was not treated with the utmost respect that players on both teams deserve," she said. Buoyed by the success theyve had, the players are raising their ability to play fluidly and adapt to any changes being thrown at them by an opponent. Duke's Tyrese Proctor (5) and Notre Dame's Cormac Ryan (5) go after the ball during the second half of Duke's 68-64 victory over Notre Dame at Cameron Indoor Stadium in . Duke's Lawson adds Cunningham among 3 hires. As mentioned, Lawson was beloved by the players and helped a lot of them to improve. The Irish were picked to finish fourth this season in an ACC preseason poll of coaches and media. When she went down to Duke to coach the women's team there I mean, I'm just putting A + B = C to me. Cunningham departs Dukes program on the heels of a once-promising season that saw the Blue Devils ranked as high as No. Since 1996, she has been an assistant at six different programs, along with being head coach at Washington from 2007 to 2011. ", . The numbers were not favorable to finding wins, especially in the highly competitive ACC. Shes a special coach. For UNC, Deja Kelly led the way with 11 points. Women's Basketball 2 Seed Duke to Open 2023 Ally ACC Tournament Against No. We publish premium content that makes you feel Informed, Inspired, Hopeful, R.A. LESLIE, By She was giving people tips and people's jaws were dropping. UNC coach Courtney Banghart had no wins in the ACC Tournament before this season. Shes somebody who Im going to lean on a lot this year to help me with decisions., There are not many times in college athletics that you get a chance to return to a place that has been really unique and rewarding, especially for me, said Jackson. We're going to miss her. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. From the moment head coach Kara Lawson joined Duke, she has surrounded herself with high-quality assistants. She spent the last eight years as an assistant at Notre Dame. This is her first college coaching job, and she had previously said experience would be one of the biggest things she would look for in assistants. Tickets: (919) 681-BLUE. Full Schedule wbball Sat, Jan 28 Final James Madison 64 at Georgia State 72 wbball Thu, Feb 2 Final James Madison 72 at South Alabama 54 wbball Sat, Feb 4 Final James Madison 61 at Georgia Southern 72 wbball Thu, Feb 9 Final James Madison 65 vs Louisiana 59 wbball Sat, Feb 11 Final James Madison 70 vs Arkansas State 57 wbball Thu, Feb 16 Final When you have teammates that want to win just as badly as you do, it makes things a lot easier, said Taylor after the game. This doesnt change the mile. This is something that people have said to me: That its cool to get coached again., #3: Life Wont Get Easierand Thats Okay, I don't want to be a hypocrite. Her performance, familiarity with Boston and well-regarded status among the team's players are part of why former Celtic-turned-broadcast-analyst Brian Scalabrine thinks that Lawson may be the right woman for the job. 13 Duke Rallies for Ally ACC Tournament Quarterfinal Win Over North Carolina, No. A big emphasis for us in the portal was to fortify the frontcourt and bring in size, said Lawson. Earlier in the fourth, Reigan Richardson's jumper off a Tar Heel turnover gave Duke the fourth tie of the period and then Elizabeth Balogun made a pair of free throws to give the Blue Devils a 42-40 lead with 1:58 remaining. MORE:Eight best Celtics coaching candidates to replace Brad Stevens. I am ecstatic., Three assistants combine for 46 years experience, Duke Women's Basketball Coach Kara Lawson Introductory Press Conference. It's official, Duke's coaching staff has a new member. If you look at our numbers from last year, we were a poor defensive team and that was my fault as a coach, said Lawson Jan. 10. So that concept applies to everything., Lawson says that she and her coaching staff challenge their players. Let's take a look. I think you win when you can and so that's what our goal was all along., Our team plays hard and they play together, Lawson said after Dukes Jan. 26 win against Virginia Tech. The Duke Blue Devils will try to extend their three-game winning streak when they face the Virginia Tech Hokies on Saturday night. It truly is remarkable that the team has come this far, so what are the key factors that have contributed to this turnaround? I think we talk to them a lot about being connected, Lange said. We're really working on being disruptive defensively. Her previous stint at Duke was from 2005 to 2007, which included a 2006 national runner-up finish. It doesn't get shorter. In November 2022, all eyes turned to women's college basketball once again when nine Division I teams arrived at the high-profile Las Vegas Invitational to find they were set to play on a court haphazardly added to a hotel ballroom. The Duke women's basketball coaching staff, then led by head coach Joanne P. McCallie, helped her learn how things functioned within the Duke Athletics. The conference and Florida State is saying that it wasn't.". It has been a place that I have held very near and dear to my heart over the years. Vanderbilt Women's Basketball Staff Update. Hopefully, you had a coach who motivated you along the way, says Lawson. She was a Duke assistant from 2005 to 2007 and most recently spent five seasons as an assistant at Miami. She pointed out that this was her first fully recruited freshman class, and the three freshmen added to the talent and depth of this team. Cunningham, who also spent the eight years directly preceding her Duke tenure as an associate head coach at Notre Dame, fills the vacancy left by previous head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton, who led the Bears to NCAA tournament appearances in two of her three years with the program, with the lone exclusion a result of the events COVID-19 cancelation. Lawson has long been involved with professional basketball. Another goal achieved. 2023 Duke Athletics. One year after the COVID-19 pandemic cut head coach Kara Lawsons first season short, a new era of Duke womens basketball looked to be on the horizon. Following the thorough and objective review process, there was no evidence found to support the claim. "I'm not perfect, but I admit when I'm making a mistake, and the mistake was made here and it's a big one.". "It's not one of those things where 'she's good for a female.' Share and discuss 'We can get there': Inside Duke womens basketballs swift rise to ACC contention on social media. They don't get affected on the defensive end when they're struggling offensively and that's something that happens to a lot of players, said Lawson after defeating Pittsburgh Feb. 2. Pitt women's basketball head coach Lance White in the second quarter of the Virginia Tech-Pitt women's basketball game in Blacksburg Va. Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020. Stevens made the decision to target Lawson as a member of his staff and was able to lure her out of the Wizards booth to begin her coaching career. Duke women's basketball coach Kara Lawson said the teams played with a men's basketball for the first half of a loss to Florida State on Sunday. Lawson uses the example of being out of shape: If jogging a mile leaves you winded and tired, you may think I cant wait to get to two weeks, then it'll be easier. twitter. All five on the court at the same time. Lawson added that since Sunday's game, the ACC has instituted a rule change where players have to confirm the correct ball during the captain's meeting prior to tip. I am beyond enthusiastic about coming back to Duke. 13 Duke wound up on top with a 44-40 win over No. Duke, finishing its nonconference slate at 10-1, held teams to 48.5 points per game, 31.9 percent shooting from the floor and just 25.9 percent from long range. But for the first time since retiring at the end of last season, the former FSU head coach will be back at . Clemson and Louisville are the only two conference foes to shoot over 40 percent against the Blue Devils, but Duke used 11 and 20 points off turnovers, respectively, to pull out wins and remain at the top of the ACC standings. Share and discuss First half of Duke women's basketball's loss to Florida State played with a men's ball, head coach Kara Lawson says on social media. ET, ACCNX), she's gotten the Blue Devils back into the Top 25 rankings and coached up Shayeann Day-Wilson to . Follow us on Twitter: DukeWBB & Instagram: dukewbb Follow one of the top Division I women's basketball teams in the nation at the official Facebook page of Duke women's basketball. Full access to Maria's collection of inspiring weekly essays. And thats what we have at Duke; we have kids who want to be great students and we have kids who want to be great basketball players. For Duke women's basketball head coach Kara Lawson, if she and the rest of the coaching staff were going to implement a new defensive scheme for the 2022-23 season, they needed the. I wanted coaches that brought a lot to the table in terms of knowledge of the game, knowledge of recruiting, ability to build relationships and player development. Kate Barnosky. New Duke women's basketball coach Kara Lawson announced the hiring of three assistants Friday, including longtime former Notre Dame assistant Beth Cunningham. 2022-23 Women's Basketball Coaching Staff. Duke women's basketball fell in its regular-season finale to rival North Carolina, breaking its season-long home win streak. 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Coach (Lawson) has said this in practices as well. Then once we got through the summer and the start of the fall and seeing how were moving and what were capable of doing and building on the (non-basketball) principles. The players are fully bought into achieving success, and Lawson highlights that as the number one reason for this improvement. Sophomore guard Reigan Richardson, one of the impact transfers that Lawson nabbed at the beginning of the season, coincidentally also came from Georgia and had a special relationship with Lange. The women's athletic department . 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Since Lawson and her team started posting the videos of her team talks, the response has been positiveand huge. Tia Jackson. "She stays in your ear, even though she may not be your personal coach she always keeps asking how I'm doing and if there's anything I need to talk about, so I feel like Duke is going to get a great head coach. GREENSBORO In a defensive grudge match that seemed like players ended up on the floor on almost every possession, No. Moving You and Humanity Forward. Heide, Emma A school teammate texted me about one of her friends who is going through grad school. Its all the small details she takes care of that go unnoticed by the average fan. . She was in Australia coaching with USA Basketball during those months and credits the assistants for working closely with the players. Agugua-Hamilton recently accepted the head coaching job at Virginia, leaving Cunningham to take over the job at Missouri State. "She's insanely good as a coach," headded. And you can figure out who the people I'm talking about [are] that failed the sport and our players and both teams," Lawson said, speaking passionately. By Steve Wiseman. McCallie has coached at Duke since. The charge adds to a conversation that has gained steam in the past few years around inequities in resources for women's basketball versus men's. Schmidt, Kara That, of course, means that Boston is going to need a new coach. She's always been there for me. Duke assistant coach Beth Cunningham departs the program after two seasons. "Kara is always known for putting a smile on players' faces," center Robert Williams saidafter Lawson joined Duke, per Justin Leger of NBC Sports Boston. Were only as strong as that weakest person. So, if I am the weak link, its up to (a teammate) to talk me through it, get me right and make sure I know what Im supposed to be doing.. The story of Celeste for us is that if we need something done that's going to change the game from losing to winning, you put Celeste Taylor on the job. On Dec. 21, 2021, the 16th-ranked Blue Devils routed Charleston Southern 78-35 to finish an impressive nonconference slate 9-1, the lone loss a single-digit defeat to future national champion South Carolina. Shaffer, Jiselle Duke's vaunted defense held UNC to just 24% shooting and kept the Tar Heels scoreless over the game's last four minutes, allowing only four points in the fourth quarter. I struggle with this too, admits Lawson about facing lifes tough sides. Marisa Moseley. The Blue Devils are lightyears ahead of original projections Duke was picked seventh in the league in the preseason media poll. Most people would think its because shes 6-6 and she gives you great size, Lange said. The man likely tasked with replacing the winningest college basketball coach ever is a former Duke player who moved to the Blue Devils' bench just eight years ago and was promoted to associate . Now in the ACC its really hard and weve got to find a way to get our defensive numbers to hold steady versus great competition. Duke women's basketball coach Joanne P. McCallie reveals that she is stepping away from the program due to uncertainty as she entered the final year of her contract. "She became more than just my shooting coach, she became a longtime friend and somebody I know I can talk to if I ever need advice, Smart said after Lawson was announced as Duke's next coach, per NBC Sports Boston. UNC coach Courtney Banghart had no wins in the ACC Tournament before this season. Women's Champ Week predictions: Which teams will win the auto bids in all 32 conferences? Lawson has not been shy in praising her staff for the improvement of this team, especially during the offseason. Entering her third season at Duke with Monday's season opener against NC A&T (11 a.m. That may help keep things running smoothly as he transitions into the front office. I thought she was head coaching material withinfive minutes talking with her. Tia is coming back to Durham, and we are clearly excited, said Lawson. Bollin, Imani The senior leads the squad with nearly six rebounds per game and picks up one steal per game to go along with a 10.9 points per game average. "She is as sharp as they come," Stevens said, per KnoxNews.com. Gandy arrives from the Rice coaching staff, where he spent the last three seasons. Stacey Lindsay, By Now with the Blue Devils in the thick of conference action the numbers have understandably dropped a touch, but Lawson and the Blue Devils are excited to meet the challenge of ACC play night in and night out. We have more people who are doing what theyre supposed to be doing and holding their own. Women's Power Rankings: Pac-12 teams, Maryland show their teeth. But this all still applies to life. 2022-23 All-ACC Women's Basketball Team. The trio boasts a combined 46 years of collegiate coaching experience including one NCAA Championship, 17 NCAA Tournament selections and six NCAA Final Four appearances. Shes in her forties and is a mom and trying to navigate it all. Duke moves on to Saturday's semifinals where it will face the winner of Friday's late Miami-Virginia Tech game. A coach is someone that inspires, that encourages, that motivates [] and that challenges you. Thank goodness she's on our staff. If we just focus on the present moment and just continue to get better each day, we can get there.. When McGraw retired in April, Cunningham was not retained by new coach Niele Ivey, who also had been on McGraw's staff from 2007 to 2019. When Kara Lawson met with the media after being hired as Dukes womens basketball head coach, she said that the most important factor in choosing a staff would be experience.. While it was obvious to the staff there needed to be a focus on improving defensive schemes, it was not a plug-and-play situation. She is averaging 1.4 blocks per game, but its not her post-up defense the Blue Devils rely on. Lawson, 39, had been an assistant with the Boston Celtics before taking . By The coaches were able to evaluate the team to see the pieces they had to solve this puzzle. We wait for life to get easier, Lawson told her Duke team. The team then alerted the scorers table of the incorrect ball. This is especially so for first-year students. The coach, who has many inspiring videos to watch, admits that her talks are for her players (she credits her creative director Selena Castillo for putting the videos online), but shes inspired to hear how what she has to say resonates further.