Marisa Moseley. Signup for our weekly newsletter. This is especially so for first-year students. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. 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. 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. Lawson primarily played as a shooting guard.She won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in . They're superwomen. 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 . Aside from her numbers, it is the little things that make Taylor invaluable to this group. Slow offense has cost the team in multiple games, including its most recent loss to North Carolina. 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. Offensively, the numbers are similar from a year ago, and there is a legitimate argument to be made that Duke had a more potent offensive team last year. UNC used a 10-2 run in the second quarter to take a 24-19 lead into halftime as Balogun's 3-pointer with 8 seconds left in the half ended an 0-for-6 shooting drought for the Devils and cut into an eight-point deficit. 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. This doesnt change the mile. One, it takes a lot of energy. Drink water. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Its about teaching them to understand that they can and encouraging them to do that. Day-Wilson, Bo
. 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. Ten players average double-digit minutes per game, and six of those are transfers or freshmen. 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. Her first season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Blue Devils posted a 3-1 record in the four games they played before opting to cancel the rest of their season. We're really working on being disruptive defensively. Its not, We like this defensive set or this type of press, so well install that. You need to take a close look at the personnel involved. McCallie has coached at Duke since. Women's Power Rankings: Pac-12 teams, Maryland show their teeth. OTL: Investigation underway at Duke (6:00) Outside the Lines discusses the investigation into Duke women's basketball head coach Joanne McCallie and her program for alleged mistreatment of players . 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 previously a news anchor and reporter who covered veterans' issues and breaking news. 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. So, if Duke was going to be competitive for an ACC title and make an NCAA Tournament run something had to change. By Steve Wiseman. 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. It was seeing all of that and then going to Coach (Lawson) saying this is what we can do.". Kara Lawson. The 16th-ranked Blue Devils lost to the Seminoles . "I wanted to appeal and protest the game. Finding the one that suited us best was a fun project in the preseason. 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. Another goal achieved. Mulkey, who became the fastest coach in Division I history to reach 600 wins (needing only . Bollin, Imani
Down three with 15 seconds left, Fighting Irish junior guard Olivia Miles broke the Blue Devil press and drove down the court. Lawson was part of a Celtics staff that posted a 43-21 record and reached the Eastern Conference Finals despite playing in "The Bubble." Duke women's basketball fell in its regular-season finale to rival North Carolina, breaking its season-long home win streak. Its not always exactly right, but they give us tremendous effort, so I think the credit really goes to them for doing that and being willing to do that because its very hard.. It's official, Duke's coaching staff has a new member. 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. Carver-Hawkeye Arena; Welcome to Campus; The University of Iowa; Iowa City; Contact. We may have played some teams in the nonconference that challenged us defensively in many ways and stretched us. The Chronicle also reached out Thursday night to a Florida State team spokesperson, who directed all media to the ACC's statement Friday morning. The Blue Devils forced 19.6 turnovers per game in the 11 games, including 15 against UConn, while also holding the Huskies to 12 points below their season average at the time. P. Sue Beckwith, MD, Head Women's Basketball Coach; Coaching Staff; Dressed for Championships; Welcome Home. Schmidt, Kara
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. The women's athletic department . While she was still playing, Lawson started a broadcast career and became the first woman to serve as a broadcast analyst for an NBA game. 8 Maryland. MORE: Stephen A. Smith rips Celtics' promotion of Brad Stevens. Signup for our weekly newsletter. From that standpoint, there is continual growth, and our kids are seeing it on their own. Taylor is a highly skilled elite athlete with an incredibly high basketball IQ. Shes the Swiss Army Knife of Duke womens basketball she can do it all. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Duke's Lawson adds Cunningham among 3 hires. She returned to her alma mater in 2012 as an assistant to Muffet McGraw and was a part of the 2018 national championship team among her five Final Four appearances with the Irish. Three of the most important decisions a head coach makes are in hiring assistant coaches, said Lawson. Taylor, Vanessa
facebook When the Blue Devils traveled to Florida Gulf Coast earlier this season the Eagles led the nation in 3-pointers made per game (11.7) and attempts per game (35.3). Then, at halftime, players voiced their concerns to the assistant coaches in the locker room. "I know the organization thinks she's unbelievable. [2] She led Duke from 1992 until 2007, when she was hired . Contact the Coaches; Recruit Info; Recruiting Questionnaire; Stats. . And . Who is Kara Lawson? She is averaging 1.4 blocks per game, but its not her post-up defense the Blue Devils rely on. Hes also really, really good at building relationships and really, really good in terms of Xs and Os.. The core of the team guards Shayeann Day-Wilson and Celeste Taylor and wing Elizabeth Balogun remained intact, but the supporting pieces that Lawson brought in have made a great impact this season. Jackson, Elizabeth
Take time away when you need a break. Later that season on International Women's Day (March 8) in 2020, Stevens was asked his opinion of Lawson. However, the team ignored the outside noise, staying focused on its goals and the task at hand. Richardson had 10. By 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. . NC State women's basketball has become accustomed to success in the last few seasons. Havas, Mia
She also made the All-Star Game once and was an Olympic champion during her playing days. 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 . Jackson also went to the Women's Final Four as a player . Karen kind of runs our defense and she deserves a ton of credit for how our defense has changed.. 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? "You have to feed them," Gamecocks coach and former Virginia Final Four guard Dawn Staley said earlier this season about the . Duke is allowing a mere 50.9 points per game, good for third in the country, and has only allowed 60-plus points in five games. One of those options could be Kara Lawson. Moving You and Humanity Forward. Duke came in and held FGCU to five threes on 20 attempts, and 25 percent shooting from behind the arc. 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. Jacob Camenker is a senior content producer at The Sporting News. As a player, Cunningham, then known as Beth Morgan, helped lead Notre Dame to its first Women's Final Four in 1997. The former WNBA star doesn't have a lot of coaching experience, but she has been involved with the Boston organization and seems to have a good relationship with Brad Stevens. We've 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'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. 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. Hes one of the finest player development coaches in the country; thats one of his superpowers. Every game against every team we play we emphasize defense, defense, defense, said Balogun after a Jan. 1 win against Louisville. The official 2022-23 Women's Basketball Roster for the Duke University . TAYLOR'S VERSION: Taylor, Balogun lead Duke women's basketball to upset win at No. We want to try and force turnovers, said Lawson at preseason media day. To do this, she turned to the increasingly important transfer portal. "It's very frustrating that [the game] was not treated with the utmost respect that players on both teams deserve," she said. 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. The first half of Duke women's basketball's Sunday loss at Florida State was played with a men's ball, according to a closing statement made by head coach Kara Lawson in her postgame press conference Thursday evening following the Blue Devils' home win against Pittsburgh. Lawson got her start with the Celtics and served as an assistant during the 2019-20 season. Lawsons staff will include Beth Cunningham, Winston Gandy and Tia Jackson. When she went down to Duke to coach the women's team there I mean, I'm just putting A + B = C to me. The team then alerted the scorers table of the incorrect ball. 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 . Journalism Above the Noise. I thought she was head coaching material withinfive minutes talking with her. On the court leaders stepped up in a way they didnt last year, bringing the rest of the team along. Women's Basketball Coaching Staff. The Blue Devils simply disrupt whatever offense is thrown at them. Duke Women's Basketball Coach Kara Lawson. You can have individually-talented people, but you must have a group that fits together. Duke is still holding opponents under 51 points per game and has allowed only one ACC squad to score more than 58 points in a game. 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. Editor's note: This story was updated the morning of Feb. 3 to include the statement from the ACC. A coach is someone that inspires, that encourages, that motivates [] and that challenges you. She held regular 1-on-1 meetings with players, getting to know them and giving them a chance to learn about her journey. Jackson also went to the Women's Final Four as a player, with Iowa in 1993. Women's Champ Week predictions: Which teams will win the auto bids in all 32 conferences? If thats not life-stretching wisdom, we dont know what is. But they can't say that either," Lawson said. 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. "I think the world of Kara, Stevens said. The obvious answer is Celeste, Lange said when asked about who is key to the defense. The official 2020-21 Women's Basketball Roster for the Wisconsin Badgers Badgers. 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. All rights reserved, The All 22 - An Inside Look at Duke Football, No. Gandy, Karen
Associate Head Coach. Duke can take away opponents strengths and has proven to do so consistently. A lot of people needed to be coached that day.. When we step on the court, we know defense comes first.. 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. 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. However, that number has decreased to 0.66, now good for the 99th percentile. The Sunday Paper Team. Im not very patient I don't think there's a timeline here. The way to do that is to compete hard with one another.. We're going to miss her. And then the types of personnel we need inside of it. Man, can [the staff] coach defense; they could play it as players and they can really coach it, said Lawson in a Jan. 17 availability. There is no additional information to display:
24, respectively), with Duke tied for the ACC's top spot with Notre Dame and Florida State one place behind. But this all still applies to life. She still does that for us, but luckily, I dont think she has to do that as much. 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. 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. There are a thousand different presses you could run. 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. The players are fully bought into achieving success, and Lawson highlights that as the number one reason for this improvement. Balogun gives the Blue Devils great versatility on defense. But for the first time since retiring at the end of last season, the former FSU head coach will be back at . The Celtics are starting a new era ahead of the 2021 NBA offseason. View Full Bio. Duke has forced 536 opposing turnovers in 29 games this season, 101 more than last season's 30-game total. I don't really believe in timelines because I think when you set them, you predestine yourself to meet the timeline, and never be ahead of it, she said Feb. 21. Jackson, Winston
The coaches were able to evaluate the team to see the pieces they had to solve this puzzle. Tia has so much experience and shes great at building relationships. I wasnt sure about the pressing yet because it wasnt clear what our depth was going to be at that point. She is perhaps best known as the women's college basketball head coach of Duke University and The University of Texas. Tia is coming back to Durham, and we are clearly excited, said Lawson. Duke announced its nonconference schedule for the 2022-23 season via release. 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 . After a season in the WNBA, she entered coaching. Let's take a look. "I have a lot of young minority women that are super intelligent and that can play basketball at a high level. Seen, Supported, and most importantly not alone on your journey to The Open Field. As such, the team should be able to attract some of the best and brightest available coaches. By the Numbers. Latson owns an ACC-leading 18 20-point games as well as seven 30-point games this year. Head Coach. 18 UNC in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals at Greensboro Coliseum on Friday. Season Statistics; Season Statistics (PDF) Big Ten Statistics (PDF . "To have a game that, at the end of the season, could be the difference between a seed, between a title, my players don't deserve that and neither do their players. 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. 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.. View Full Bio. The independent news organization of Duke University. In Duke's recent 77-62 victory over N.C. State, Taylor made numerous defensive plays, including a chase-down block on Wolfpack forward Mimi Collins and multiple deflections in the final two. Eat well. Shortly after she came aboard, Stevens spoke well of her during her first NBA Summer League experience. Something special is brewing in Durham in 2023 and its fun to watch. Virginia Tech . 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. We wait for life to get easier, Lawson told her Duke team. Because when you have those two things defensively, whatever theyre being taught, whatever were playing, whatever were doing it, only works from a defensive Xs and Os standpoint if were connected and were trusting each other.. 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. Lawson, 39, had been an assistant with the Boston Celtics before taking . An instrumental part in helping the Duke women's basketball team boast one of the nation's top defenses throughout the season, Taylor leads the squad in total steals (58) and steals per game (2.0 . 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. In short, the game had steep implications for both the conference and NCAA tournament seedings, which Lawson mentioned. 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 Cancel at any time. 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.. Duke women's basketball head coach Kara Lawson announced Friday the hiring of Beth Cunningham, Winston Gandy and Tia Jackson as assistant coaches. de Jesus, Ashlon
Lewis, Reigan
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. In the first season, 1974-75, the team played locally, finishing second in the state with a 6-7 record. 0:00. A key member of the Blue Devils' coaching staff is headed elsewhere. 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. Share and discuss Duke women's basketball assistant coach Beth Cunningham hired as Missouri State head coach on social media. Fast forward one year, and Duke is the No. "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.". 2023 Duke Athletics. Fast-forward to July when the majority of the 2022-23 roster was on campus. 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. We wanted to learn more about facing the difficult stuff, so we reached out to Lawson. Cancel at any time. He's still a great mentor for meI talk to him weekly, Lawson said in a press conference last summer, per the Duke Chronicle. 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.