This is great for Duke.
And a new era begins.
Good vibes: She was born during Coach K's first year at Duke, one day after his BD...Feb 14, 1981
May another dynasty begin!
Looks like a great choice. I think she will do a superb job, and will recruit top players from the "get go". Our wins will mount, and our happiness will astound. I'm in Oklahoma so I'm not going to be among the rising game attendance at Cameron - tough on me ( but success will lead to more of our women's games on national TV).
Welcome to Duke, Kara! Here's wishing you a long and successful run as DWB's head coach! LGD GTHc!
Ozzie, your paradigm of optimism!
Go To Hell carolina, Go To Hell!
9F 9F 9F
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109168742_4006253062750304_8961154618381052454_o.jpg
Looks great in Duke Blue!
"This is the best of all possible worlds."
Dr. Pangloss - Candide
Nice tweet from Coach P.
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Joanne P. McCallie
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Huge congratulations to Kara for being chosen as the fifth head coach in duke history. Very exciting times ahead for the team and program.
Go Duke! Blue heart
"This is the best of all possible worlds."
Dr. Pangloss - Candide
It's not up yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing her name and reading her bio on Duke's web page.
https://goduke.com/sports/womens-basketball/coaches
Q "Why do you like Duke, you didn't even go there." A "Because my art school didn't have a basketball team."
Any inside info? I can't find anywhere that she has a list of schools she's considering.
And why not? New coach, a coach who was one of the great guards of the game to mentor you. The chance to immediately invigorate a storied name in basketball. She's from D.C., so far enough away from home (bye Maryland) but close enough for family to come see you (p.s. Kara is from Springfield VA just outside of D.C.). Play in one of the greatest arenas in the world, go to one of the top universities in the world, on one of the prettiest campuses in the world.
Plus she's the type of talent that other players will follow. We'd be a top-5 team by her sophomore year. These top players like challenges. Why go to Uconn and be just another in a long line of names when you can really stand out.
Kara needs to ask Coach K for his pitch to Johnny Dawkins.
It's a done deal. Trust me on this. All of the I's have been dotted, all of the T's have been crossed, all of the fine print read and re-read.
My understanding is that she will be formally introduced on Monday. I'll have more later Monday.
People asked about Joy Cheek Smith upthread. Keep in mind that her husband Allen is an assistant coach with the Wofford football team (his alma mater) and they are expecting their first child shortly. Even if Lawson wanted her--no reason to believe she does-and even if Joy wanted to come back--no reason to think she does-it would almost certainly have to be a package deal involving her husband. Way too many moving parts for this to be a realistic possibility.
Last edited by jimsumner; 07-11-2020 at 04:32 PM.
Azzi's father is a high school basketball coach.
Q "Why do you like Duke, you didn't even go there." A "Because my art school didn't have a basketball team."
Believe it or not, it's not as hard as you think cause I mean, the PLAYERS have to do it. There will always be holdovers, especially on the admin and support side. The strength and conditioning folks will likely stay. She won't be building a program from the ground up. She's literally being given the keys to the Cadillac and she has the profile of what could be a better more aggressive driver.
I remember watching her play. Even as a shooting guard she was a passionate floor general calling out sets.
Fun fact: the last two times DWB went to the final four - she was there both times and sent Duke home one of those times.
Duke got a steal. Her pedigree is immaculate.
She was coached by one of the greatest coaches of all time and now she will have access to one of the greatest coaches of all time.
Young, recognizable, respected and a true baller.
Grand Slam man!
Here's a teaser. Lawson already listed as Duke coach on Wikipedia:
Kara Marie Lawson (born February 14, 1981) is the head coach of the Duke Blue Devils women's basketball team, and a former assistant coach for the Boston Celtics of the NBA. 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. Lawson primarily played as a shooting guard. She won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. Lawson retired from the WNBA in 2015 to focus on her broadcasting career.
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013
While that may be true, it does not seem to extend to not going to the top handful of women's basketball programs. Duke is not such a program right now, and such a player would have no reason to risk committing to a team that has just changed coaches and is not a lock to make the tournament.
I don't mean that L shouldn't try, just that I think the odds of her coming to duke would be exceptionally low. It would be as if zion williamson committed to Connecticut just after they hired Hurley...it's not going to happen.
April 1