GoDuke has her bio up.
https://goduke.com/sports/womens-bas...ra-lawson/4009
And in her own words, she says
https://www.wralsportsfan.com/duke-h...team/19184553/In a statement, Lawson called it “a dream come true" for someone who “wanted to be a coach since I was a kid.”
“Everybody I spoke with and had a chance to interact with, I immediately felt a great connection,” Lawson said. "It wasn’t a decision based on emotion, but there was a lot of emotion involved in it because of how excited I am and how ready I am to get started and to work with the players.”
Q "Why do you like Duke, you didn't even go there." A "Because my art school didn't have a basketball team."
While what you're saying is mostly true, I believe every top program wasn't a top program when it got its first big recruit. For example, South Carolina wasn't a "top handful" program when A'Ja Wilson committed, nor was Baylor a top handful program when they snagged Brittney Griner (though admittedly both programs were on the way up).
Also, a good recruiter could probably spin Duke as a top handful program going through a lull. You never know what convinces a 17-year-old kid. I'm not saying Azzi will come to Duke, but if it were automatic that the top talent only went to the top programs, the top programs would never change (and they clearly do, except for your beloved Huskies).
What a great way to get the Celtics-to-Blue Devils coaching chain started!
“Coach said no 3s.” - Zion on The Block
While WBB is not what it used to be, it's still Duke basketball and as long as the staff can tell recruits that happy days are here again, they will get top players interested. And once they get to campus, the school will sell itself and a good number will want to spend four years in Durham. After all, that beats the heck out of Waco TX, Columbia SC, College Station TX, etc. Not to mention that Muffet has retired, Luigi is 66, and Duke has just hired a very dynamic and charismatic young woman straight out of the NBA who can sell herself, the program, and the school.
With the huge talent differential in women's basketball, Duke just has to pick up one top ten player, or a couple of top twenty players, and the rest will take care of itself.
while brad stevens is undoubtedly my #1 (and i'm sure many here), the departure of K will undoubtedly be on different terms from P...he undoubtedly will have more of an influence in who the department hires to replace him, and he is adamant it should come from within the family.
For better or wrose, it seems to take the failure of the succeeding coach for the department to start to look elsewhere. UNC and Uconn are two big examples.
So for better or worse, I have a hard time imagine duke MBB next head coach is not in the program, and there is value to that. So if that's the case, I think Jon is my #1.
April 1
"I wanted it to be in my hands," Roach said of his game-sealing drive. "I wanted to take—I wanted that moment."
"Definitely was a bit personal for me," Roach added. "I mean, what happened last year, obviously, but just wanted to come out here and do anything I can to get this win, and we did that." Duke-Carolina, Cameron Indoor, Feb. 4th 2023
a bit more balanced article from the chronicle today rather than the, forgive me, nonsense from yesterday:
https://www.dukechronicle.com/articl...nd-new-heights
April 1
Graham Hays has a good article up, not only on Lawson, but at the state of NCAA women's coaching in general, and where it's headed.
https://www.espn.com/womens-college-...ration-coaches
Q "Why do you like Duke, you didn't even go there." A "Because my art school didn't have a basketball team."
The New Era Begins !! Welcome coach !!!!!
"One POSSIBLE future. From your point of view... I don't know tech stuff.".... Kyle Reese