To do this, she turned to the increasingly important transfer portal. Amile Jefferson. Stacey Lindsay, By 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.. 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. Vanderbilt Women's Basketball Staff Update. And she'd never lost to Duke. Three of the most important decisions a head coach makes are in hiring assistant coaches, said Lawson. View Full Bio. Karen kind of runs our defense and she deserves a ton of credit for how our defense has changed.. "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.". The Blue Zone breaks down the loss: She led the score sheet and she . There are a thousand different presses you could run. I think she'll do a great, great job for us.". One of the things going back to last year we assessed over the summer as a staff was how poor defensively we were, Lawson said. It just wouldn't happen," she added. A noticeable pickup in good chatter during practice followed by consistent play during the games this season has the Blue Devils sporting a 17-2 record (through Jan. 25) and holding opponents to just 50.9 points per game and 34.7 percent shooting both marks atop the league charts and in the top 10 nationally. Plagued by injuries and inconsistent play, the team lost three games in a row on multiple occasions and slumped to a 7-11 conference record, finishing 10th in the league. Balogun was Duke's top scorer with 11 points. Shortly after she came aboard, Stevens spoke well of her during her first NBA Summer League experience. Shes really, really good.. Does Brad Stevens share Scalabrine's opinion that Lawson is "elite" and ready to be an NBA head coach after just two years of experience? Weve got three coaches that are talented enough to run their own programs -- two of them already have and have great experience recruiting the type of young woman we want at Duke.. She is a former American professional women's basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and a basketball television analyst for ESPN and the Washington Wizards. Head Coach. She's elite at what she does. Odds are Duke will stay comparatively young again next season, with so many guys expected to leave and five top-20 prospects committed in the Class of 2023, but "this is our foundational year . NC State women's basketball has become accustomed to success in the last few seasons. Hes one of the finest player development coaches in the country; thats one of his superpowers. Monica Holland, The Fayetteville Observer, NC State women's basketball's quest for 4th straight ACC Tournament title ends vs. Notre Dame, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Before the season, Lawsons message was clear. Share and discuss 'We can get there': Inside Duke womens basketballs swift rise to ACC contention on social media. I guess this gave her a lift., We all are searching for positivity, encouragement, and inspirationespecially right now, says Lawson. She's someone I can come to not just for basketball but for other things outside of that, so I love coach Karen, said Richardson at the teams preseason media day. Duke's Lawson adds Cunningham among 3 hires. Kara Lawson patrols the sidelines during Duke's home win Thursday evening against Pittsburgh. Slow offense has cost the team in multiple games, including its most recent loss to North Carolina. Marisa Moseley. Since Lawson and her team started posting the videos of her team talks, the response has been positiveand huge. MORE:Eight best Celtics coaching candidates to replace Brad Stevens. The other piece she provides in the halfcourt defense is her ability to rebound. Women's Basketball Coaching Staff. This Expert Has the Secret to Easing Your Mind, Still in the Game: New Campaign Starring Veteran Storytellers Challenges Hollywood to #RethinkAging. (1:15) Facebook Its really nice to say were going to play great defense. "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. Duke women's basketball coach Joanne McCallie announced her resignation in a six-minute video posted to the program's social media accounts on Thursday. I think our leadership vocally has improved drastically having been here last year and just hearing the difference in practice, Jackson said. You'll unlock exclusive content, receive access to her monthly video series called Above the Noise with Maria, and much, much more! I think that her experience will be helpful for me in a lot of ways., I couldnt be more excited about the opportunity to work with Kara at Duke, said Cunningham. If Reigan gives anything less than 100% on that sprint, it's a layup for them, said Lawson following the win. I don't know of a higher compliment you can give a player than that.. It was seeing all of that and then going to Coach (Lawson) saying this is what we can do.". 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. But any fear Arizona fans had of Barnes leaving was extinguished Friday when it was reported by the Raleigh News & Observer that Duke is hiring Boston Celtics assistant coach Kara Lawson as the. Staff Directory Members By Category/Department; Image Name Title Email Address Phone; Katie Gearlds: Head Coach 494.0605 494.0605: Beth Couture: 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. During Lawson's tenure, Smart shot 34.7 percent from beyond the arc, the second-highest mark of his career, while attempting a career-high 6.6 shots from 3-point range per game. 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. Cancel at any time. 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. The official 2022-23 Women's Basketball Roster for the Duke University . Notably, she worked with Marcus Smart to help him improve his shooting ability. The goal is to get [opponents] taking a contested shot, and one of them. The job should be an attractive one considering that the team has high-end youngtalents including All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The 16th-ranked Blue Devils lost to the Seminoles . 0:00. The Duke Blue Devils will try to extend their three-game winning streak when they face the Virginia Tech Hokies on Saturday night. That's what will ultimately matter during the hiring process. Duke assistant coach Beth Cunningham departs the program after two seasons. We wait for life to get easier, Lawson told her Duke team. She also made the All-Star Game once and was an Olympic champion during her playing days. All five on the court at the same time. They're willing to do whatever it is that needs to be done in order for us to win.. Full access to Maria's collection of inspiring weekly essays. Who is the player of the year in every women's college basketball conference? You have to have player buy-in to play good defense, said Lawson. Elzy has hired former Duke and Texas head coach Gail Goestenkors as one of . TAYLOR'S VERSION: Taylor, Balogun lead Duke women's basketball to upset win at No. However, the situation in December was eerily similar to last year, as the Blue Devils entered ACC play with a 10-1 record, the sole blemish again to a very talented UConn team. Editor's note: This story was updated the morning of Feb. 3 to include the statement from the ACC. Head Coach. Tia is coming back to Durham, and we are clearly excited, said Lawson. Im always surprised. But Lawson is more inspired because everyone has something to face. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. One, it takes a lot of energy. View Full Bio. Contact the Coaches; Recruit Info; Recruiting Questionnaire; Stats. She held regular 1-on-1 meetings with players, getting to know them and giving them a chance to learn about her journey. Cunningham has nine years of experience as head coach at VCU. 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. They're superwomen. Let's take a look. The presence of it often leads to success. Bollin, Imani [2] She led Duke from 1992 until 2007, when she was hired . facebook She came into the WNBA during the 2003 WNBA Draft after a four-year college career at Tennessee. Hes also really, really good at building relationships and really, really good in terms of Xs and Os.. The Tar Heels cracked their third-year coach's tournament goose egg with a second-round win over Clemson on Friday. And Duke coach Kara Lawson earned her first win over UNC a day later. ET, ACCNX), she's gotten the Blue Devils back into the Top 25 rankings and coached up Shayeann Day-Wilson to . You can have individually-talented people, but you must have a group that fits together. And as competition has ramped up so has the play and leadership on the defensive end by the Blue Devils. The conference continues to prioritize and support our nearly 10,000 student-athletes in a world-class manner and conduct its 27 sponsored sports with the utmost integrity. Ten players average double-digit minutes per game, and six of those are transfers or freshmen. Gandy arrives from the Rice coaching staff, where he spent the last three seasons. From that standpoint, there is continual growth, and our kids are seeing it on their own. Player of the Year: Elizabeth Kitley, Sr., C, Virginia Tech Defensive Player of the Year: Celeste Taylor, Sr., G, Duke Rookie of the Year: Ta'Niya Latson . ", . 4:21. 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 conference office considers this matter to be closed and will have no further comment.". 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 . Sasha Richie is a Trinity senior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 118th volume. "It's not one of those things where 'she's good for a female.' All of these characteristics that you would want in a coach, you want your staff to possess as many of those as possible and be experts in a number of them. She was previously a news anchor and reporter who covered veterans' issues and breaking news. 13 Duke Rallies for Ally ACC Tournament Quarterfinal Win Over North Carolina, No. 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. . Taylor, Vanessa That may help keep things running smoothly as he transitions into the front office. So, if you look at our numbers from last year, we were a poor defensive team and that was my fault as a coach. That came during aWizards vs. Hornets game on Jan. 12, 2007. Tenacious defense and the full-court press has given opposing offenses nightmares, and Lawson has set out a clear philosophy that her team has embraced. However, the team ignored the outside noise, staying focused on its goals and the task at hand. Ratcheting up a rivalry that had lost some luster as Notre Dame overtook the ACC with Louisville not far behind, followed by NC State's three-year ACC Tournament title-winning run, the Tar Heels and Blue Devils brought the battle back to the blues with a postseason slugfest. P. Sue Beckwith, MD, Head Women's Basketball Coach; Coaching Staff; Dressed for Championships; Welcome Home. Although that goal may have seemed unreasonable at the time, it is certainly attainable now ahead of Fridays quarterfinal at the ACC tournament. 2 seed entering the ACC tournament, one game behind Notre Dame. They each bring their own elite skills to the table, both basketball and non-basketball. Journalism Above the Noise. A big emphasis for us in the portal was to fortify the frontcourt and bring in size, said Lawson. Two years after her retirement from the WNBA in 2015, she became the lead analyst on the Wizards broadcast and remained in that role before she got into coaching. Gandy, Karen Lawson got her start with the Celtics and served as an assistant during the 2019-20 season. Signup for our weekly newsletter. 2 Seed Duke to Open 2023 Ally ACC Tournament Against No. Its you. Before we could ask her to coach us, Lawson did just that. Havas, Mia DURHAM, N.C. - Duke women's basketball head coach Kara Lawsonannounced Friday the hiring of Beth Cunningham, Winston Gandyand Tia Jacksonas assistant coaches. However, that number has decreased to 0.66, now good for the 99th percentile. We need to be equipped to have the energy levels to handle hard., Senior editor Stacey Lindsay is a multimedia journalist. Duke passed that test with flying colors. Lawson said that, throughout the first half, Duke players were "complaining about the ball." Coach (Lawson) has said this in practices as well. "This would never happen in a men's game, this would never happen. She is perhaps best known as the women's college basketball head coach of Duke University and The University of Texas. We wait for life to get easier, Lawson told her Duke team. That mental shift for me was super helpful., #4: Strength Fuels Your Ability to Handle Hard, Most of what Lawson talks to her team about is analogous to sports and what a team or individual athlete is facing. This summer when everybody was here for summer school would have been my first thought of We could be a really aggressive man-to-man team, said Lange. She developed a terrific relationship with the players on the team and as Weiss wrote, she was "missed greatly" after her departure. I know the players respect her. 1:51. 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. She held an incredible streak of 14 consecutive 20-point games, the second-longest ever in NCAA Men's or . A coach is someone that inspires, that encourages, that motivates [] and that challenges you. I struggle with this too, admits Lawson about facing lifes tough sides. 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. "We have concluded through our investigation that it was a men's ball," Lawson later added." Rest well. Finding the one that suited us best was a fun project in the preseason. There is an urgency for helping the young women in our country become more powerful. UNC coach Courtney Banghart had no wins in the ACC Tournament before this season. According to Her Hoop Stats, Taylor records a defensive win share of 3.7, meaning that Taylor has produced roughly that many wins for the Blue Devils solely based on her defensive performances. And will she have a chance to be the NBA's first female coach? Virginia Tech . The whole program has to be invested in it and we were, and we made great strides (from last season) and we continue to make great strides.. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. "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. And then the types of personnel we need inside of it. Aside from her numbers, it is the little things that make Taylor invaluable to this group. "I think they're going to hire Kara Lawson," Scalabrine said. twitter. The Irish were picked to finish fourth this season in an ACC preseason poll of coaches and media. What happens is you handle hard better.. Winston is a rising star in the profession, said Lawson. Shes in her forties and is a mom and trying to navigate it all. By Steve Wiseman. "so we're excited to have her on board. Meet the Duke coach who reportedly is 'prime candidate' for Celtics job, What Stevens'promotion, Ainge's departure meanfor Celtics, Eight best Celtics coaching candidates to replace Brad Stevens, Stephen A. Smith rips Celtics' promotion of Brad Stevens. In 2021, the severe lack of equipment afforded to women in their NCAA tournament bubble was exposed, ultimately leading to positive change, including extending March Madness branding to the women's tournament. Signup for our weekly newsletter. "I have a lot of young minority women that are super intelligent and that can play basketball at a high level. In 1974, Duke hired Emma Jean Howard to teach physical education, and to serve as the head coach of the women's basketball and volleyball teams. facebook For Duke womens 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 buy-in from the players first and foremost. Women's basketball vs. Duke. Lawson, 39, had been an assistant with the Boston Celtics before taking . You're invited to join Maria Shriver's new membership program! Then, at halftime, players voiced their concerns to the assistant coaches in the locker room. Jacob Camenker is a senior content producer at The Sporting News. Take Dukes win at Notre Dame. 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. Nolan Smith, the 2011 ACC. "She's elite at what she doesI thought she was head coaching material after just five minutes talking with her." Sue Semrau has not missed a Florida State women's basketball game this season. ACC presents a bigger challenge I think for us over the long haul defensively, Lawson said. 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. No, she walked into practice and she commanded practice right from the jump. ACC women's basketball coaches Niele Ivey, Katie Meier, Felisha Legette-Jack and Kara Lawson talk about the upcoming season at media day. But unless you continue to play, we lose that unique mentorship. 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. The Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs (26-4, 18-0 Big South) host the UNC Asheville Bulldogs (12-18, 8-11 Big South) after Lauren Bevis scored 30 points in the Runnin' Bulldogs 83-59 victory over . But I can't say if we'd have played with a women's ball in the first half and the second half that we would have won. If thats not life-stretching wisdom, we dont know what is. One of those options could be Kara Lawson. The Duke Women's Basketball Head Coach and star athlete, who has covered the sports spectrum from playing for the U.S. National Team to coaching for the Boston Celtics to broadcasting for ESPN, recently gave her players a pep talk about handling the hard things in life. View Full Bio. All rights reserved, The All 22 - An Inside Look at Duke Football, No. Caroline Doty. She spent time at Stanford, she understands what the process is like in terms of recruiting kids that are high achievers in more than one facet of their lives. The North Carolina game Feb. 4 was no exception to that by a six-point margin . "I wanted to appeal and protest the game. Oliver, Emma He's still a great mentor for meI talk to him weekly, Lawson said in a press conference last summer, per the Duke Chronicle. You handle hard better. Duke's staff looks a lot different than it did just a month ago, when the Blue Devils bowed out of the Final Four and Hall of Fame head coach Mike Krzyzewski's career came to an end. Jackson also went to the Women's Final Four as a player . It truly is remarkable that the team has come this far, so what are the key factors that have contributed to this turnaround? She was a part of two of the most successful seasons in Duke history. To have this second coming and be under the leadership of Kara is even more gratifying. The women's athletic department . We don't want her to go, but it's on to bigger and better opportunities.". Assistant Coach. The Irish (24-4) will play in Friday's second quarterfinal at 2 p.m. Duke (24-5) is the No. She aims to do this for the brilliant young minds she coaches at Duke. 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. Understandably, there was skepticism on whether the Blue Devils could perform at a high level during the conference slate, especially with the depth of the league this season. 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.. Lange. She is a winner in every sense of the word. My job is to equip themin every wayoutside of basketball and school, to be able to change the worldand to change the world as a woman, you must have an incredible amount of toughness, an incredible amount of competitiveness, and an incredible amount of resilience. Chris Carrawell. I think they hire Kara Lawson. With the three-headed monster of Taylor, Brown and Balogun leading the charge, the Blue Devils have given opposing offenses fits all season and its never in the same way. There is no additional information to display: Becoming arguably the most disruptive defense in the ACC and ranking ninth nationally in field goal percentage defense started with hours in the film room and in practice. Tia Jackson. Lawson primarily played as a shooting guard.She won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in . So, if Duke was going to be competitive for an ACC title and make an NCAA Tournament run something had to change. Lawson says this means making sure you have the energy to tackle what you need to do. Sleep well. Nevertheless, these both ended up as victories, because what has made this team so successful is that even when the offense is struggling, the defense does not skip a beat. 2022-23 Women's Basketball Coaching Staff. Latson owns an ACC-leading 18 20-point games as well as seven 30-point games this year. The official Women's Basketball Coach List for the Purdue University Boilermakers. 24, respectively), with Duke tied for the ACC's top spot with Notre Dame and Florida State one place behind. 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. The official 2020-21 Women's Basketball Roster for the Wisconsin Badgers Badgers. de Jesus, Ashlon We wanted to learn more about facing the difficult stuff, so we reached out to Lawson. Associate Head Coach. 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. Mulkey, who became the fastest coach in Division I history to reach 600 wins (needing only . 7/24/2020 10:30:00 AM. 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. With these challenges comes the huge responsibility of letting the players know that they are capable of doing huge and hard things. The star for this team has unquestionably been Taylor, who leads the team in scoring but provides so much value outside of shooting that helps Duke win. Looking to Find More Joy in a World Filled With Pain?