To do this, she turned to the increasingly important transfer portal. MORE: Stephen A. Smith rips Celtics' promotion of Brad Stevens. The Blue Zone breaks down the loss: She led the score sheet and she . We all need that. The job should be an attractive one considering that the team has high-end youngtalents including All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Shes really, really good.. And as competition has ramped up so has the play and leadership on the defensive end by the Blue Devils. All rights reserved, The All 22 - An Inside Look at Duke Football, No. The conference office considers this matter to be closed and will have no further comment.". While the numbers emphasize the improvement on the defensive end, there are some things that they can not explain. Dedicated to sharing the stories of Duke student-athletes, present and past, GoDuke The Magazine is published for Duke Athletics by LEARFIELD with editorial offices at 3100 Tower Blvd., Suite 404, Durham, NC 27707. facebook "You have to feed them," Gamecocks coach and former Virginia Final Four guard Dawn Staley said earlier this season about the . "I wanted to appeal and protest the game. Assistant coach Winston Gandy then went to the scorers table to inspect the ball where he realized that the ball was, in fact, a men's ball, according to Lawson. When you make a mistake, you own it, and you own it right away. Lewis, Reigan Duke assistant coach Beth Cunningham departs the program after two seasons. 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. It's a complete failure. And she'd never lost to Duke. A key member of the Blue Devils coaching staff is headed elsewhere. Finding the one that suited us best was a fun project in the preseason. Consistency is where we need to improve: be more consistent defensively, be more consistent offensively, be more consistent on the glass, said Lawson at ACC Tipoff Oct. 11. The lethal combination of depth and aggressive defense is what really wears teams out, and Duke has won multiple games by effectively shutting down opposing offenses in the second half. Shes the Swiss Army Knife of Duke womens basketball she can do it all. From that standpoint, there is continual growth, and our kids are seeing it on their own. She got an opportunity to serve as the coach of the Duke women's basketball team. The former Notre Dame standout, whose new contract with the Bears runs through the 2026-27 season, has been part of Duke head coach Kara Lawsons staff for the past two seasons and has nine years of previous head coaching experience at VCU. She was previously a news anchor and reporter who covered veterans' issues and breaking news. We're going to miss her. LEXINGTON Kentucky women's basketball coach Kyra Elzy is adding a Hall of Famer to her coaching staff. 2 Seed Duke to Open 2023 Ally ACC Tournament Against No. "She's elite at what she doesI thought she was head coaching material after just five minutes talking with her." Virginia Tech . . Roughly three weeks after head coach Mike Krzyzewski said on a June 30 . The goal is to get [opponents] taking a contested shot, and one of them. I am ecstatic., Three assistants combine for 46 years experience, Duke Women's Basketball Coach Kara Lawson Introductory Press Conference. NC State lost 77-62. Thank goodness she's on our staff. I thought she was head coaching material withinfive minutes talking with her. Notably, she worked with Marcus Smart to help him improve his shooting ability. Jackson has 24 years of coaching experience, including four as coach of Washington. Think about it: At some point, most of us played sports of some kind. 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. Women's Basketball Coaching Staff. Slow offense has cost the team in multiple games, including its most recent loss to North Carolina. 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. Lange. 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. A big emphasis for us in the portal was to fortify the frontcourt and bring in size, said Lawson. It's official, Duke's coaching staff has a new member. Thats our next challenge because they have slipped a little bit in league play.. Long-time GM Danny Ainge retired and coach Brad Stevens is replacinghim in the front office. I've gotten so many messages of people just telling their story and how this has helped them, she says. Signup for our weekly newsletter. MORE:Eight best Celtics coaching candidates to replace Brad Stevens. Assistant Coach. The Chronicle also reached out Thursday night to a Florida State team spokesperson, who directed all media to the ACC's statement Friday morning. Jai Lucas. 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 . That may help keep things running smoothly as he transitions into the front office. Associate Head Coach. Duke moves on to Saturday's semifinals where it will face the winner of Friday's late Miami-Virginia Tech game. Most people would think its because shes 6-6 and she gives you great size, Lange said. It was seeing all of that and then going to Coach (Lawson) saying this is what we can do.". 15 in the AP Poll before a sharp decline that caused them to miss the NCAA tournament. The Duke Blue Devils will try to extend their three-game winning streak when they face the Virginia Tech Hokies on Saturday night. 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. Cunningham has nine years of experience as head coach at VCU. Slipped is relative. twitter. 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. 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. The numbers were not favorable to finding wins, especially in the highly competitive ACC. / Bridgewater Raynham Regional HS. "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. Also on the staff will be Tia Jackson, who previously was an assistant at Duke for Gail Goestenkors and has spent the last five years at Miami, and Winston Gandy, who has been at Rice for three seasons. Duke's Lawson adds Cunningham among 3 hires. 2 seed entering the ACC tournament, one game behind Notre Dame. It can be as simple as once we get through the holiday season to January, stuff's going to settle. The trio boasts a combined. I'm really looking for improving defensive points per possession.. ", You cannot sit here, no matter what you believe, what your politics are, and not recognize that this is urgent. The bells rang out across Duke's campus at 5 p.m., chiming as if in celebration of Blue Devil senior Celeste Taylor. Shaffer, Jiselle View Full Bio. Feb. 23, 2023. Since 1996, she has been an assistant at six different programs, along with being head coach at Washington from 2007 to 2011. 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. (1:15) Facebook It is just a perfect fit and I am looking forward to the challenge.. Upon arriving at Duke, Lawson knew her most pressing work required people skills to match her deep basketball knowledge. Cunningham departs Dukes program on the heels of a once-promising season that saw the Blue Devils ranked as high as No. She's really excited to get going. The North Carolina game Feb. 4 was no exception to that by a six-point margin . twitter, cut head coach Kara Lawsons first season short, brought familiarity and a veteran presence to the staff, 'We'll be back': Duke women's track and field falls step short of repeat title in wild finish at ACC Indoor Championships, 'The competition was ridiculous': An oral history of Jon Scheyer's playing days in the Tobacco Road rivalry, ChronChat: Predicting the 2022-23 Duke women's basketball season, picked seventh in the league in the preseason media poll, Chagall at the Chapel: Beautiful and powerful, 'We can get there': Inside Duke womens basketballs swift rise to ACC contention, Column: Powered by the Roach-Proctor backcourt, Duke men's basketball is growing offensively, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to deliver Class of 2023 commencement address, DukeAfrica endorses Isaiah Hamilton for DSG president, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers endorses Isaiah Hamilton for DSG president, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. "She is as sharp as they come," Stevens said, per KnoxNews.com. A coach is someone that inspires, that encourages, that motivates [] and that challenges you. Tia Jackson. There is no additional information to display: 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. The Blue Devils ranked 11th in the ACC and 156th in the country in field goal percentage defense. With one former Duke basketball team captain moving to his first head coaching job, another is moving into a larger role on coach Mike Krzyzewski's staff. Notre Dame won the regular season and claimed the ACC tournament's top seed. 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 All-ACC Women's Basketball Team. 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. She aims to do this for the brilliant young minds she coaches at Duke. 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. 18 UNC in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals at Greensboro Coliseum on Friday. Lawson got her start with the Celtics and served as an assistant during the 2019-20 season. 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. Its you. Balogun was Duke's top scorer with 11 points. This doesnt change the mile. 2023 Duke Athletics. The independent news organization of Duke University. Balogun gives the Blue Devils great versatility on defense. The ACC Defensive Player of the Year has more than double the amount of steals of any other player on her team, and her sheer commitment to defense is what has impressed Lawson from the start. I think the challenge is our kids understanding what their coverages are in their particular areas and then being able to move on the fly should someone throw something random at us, Jackson explained. Richardson had 10. "I am extremely excited to bring these three talented, skilled and . Duke Women's Basketball Coach Kara Lawson. Elzy has hired former Duke and Texas head coach Gail Goestenkors as one of . The Blue Devils are lightyears ahead of original projections Duke was picked seventh in the league in the preseason media poll. And Young said opportunities to talk with Duke's former men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski were always incredibly valuable. Who is the player of the year in every women's college basketball conference? 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. She didn't coach in The Bubble, as she had already left for Duke, but her footprint was clearly on that squad. Latson owns an ACC-leading 18 20-point games as well as seven 30-point games this year. She is averaging 1.4 blocks per game, but its not her post-up defense the Blue Devils rely on. She was in Australia coaching with USA Basketball during those months and credits the assistants for working closely with the players. But unless you continue to play, we lose that unique mentorship. And the student-athletes must have the confidence that their teammates will always have their backs, because defense is a total team effort. Duke came in and held FGCU to five threes on 20 attempts, and 25 percent shooting from behind the arc. Assistant Coach. With these challenges comes the huge responsibility of letting the players know that they are capable of doing huge and hard things. Once again, with the help of the loud-as-ever Cameron . Corosdale, Jordyn But she has to be on the floor defensively for us to be really good.. 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. In the first season, 1974-75, the team played locally, finishing second in the state with a 6-7 record. Its about teaching them to understand that they can and encouraging them to do that. And he continued to speak well of his then-assistant. View Full Bio. She can drop down low and guard a big or pop out to defend a guard or an athletic four. 7/24/2020 10:30:00 AM. And why did Lawson leave the Celtics? For UNC, Deja Kelly led the way with 11 points. The Celtics are starting a new era ahead of the 2021 NBA offseason. Without it, a plan is just that an idea on paper. The conference and Florida State is saying that it wasn't.". 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. 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. (But) you really have to have players who are willing to work that hard every possession. "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. Drink water. View Full Bio. 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. 39,788 peoplelike this 44,674 people follow this http://dukekaraera.com/ Lawson specified that she was not a part of that talk as she is not usually in the locker room at halftime. Taylor, Vanessa PACK IT UP:NC State women's basketball's quest for 4th straight ACC Tournament title ends vs. Notre Dame. A huge piece (to a good defense) is to have the necessary bodies to do so, said Jackson. Entering her third season at Duke with Monday's season opener against NC A&T (11 a.m. Lawson was part of a Celtics staff that posted a 43-21 record and reached the Eastern Conference Finals despite playing in "The Bubble." 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. "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. Duke assistant coach Beth Cunningham will be introduced as Missouri State's next head coach Thursday morning, per release . By The Irish (24-4) will play in Friday's second quarterfinal at 2 p.m. Duke (24-5) is the No. 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. Cunningham and Jackson both are coming to Duke from other ACC schools and have been coaching for the past two decades. Hes coming from academically intense institution as well. Caroline Doty. 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. Marisa Moseley. Head Coach. 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. Kara Lawson patrols the sidelines during Duke's home win Thursday evening against Pittsburgh. View Full Bio, Celeste So, if you look at our numbers from last year, we were a poor defensive team and that was my fault as a coach. Duke women's basketball fell in its regular-season finale to rival North Carolina, breaking its season-long home win streak. Senior forward Jada Boyd shoots the ball during the game against Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Thursday. 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. 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. Contact the Coaches; Recruit Info; Recruiting Questionnaire; Stats. Head Coach. 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. 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. Jackson, Winston 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 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. Irish move past Wolfpack as Miles still sidelined, Minnesota coach Whalen resigns at alma mater, White out as Pitt hoops coach after 42-99 mark, Sheldon gives Buckeyes lift vs. Michigan in return, LSU-Georgia game delayed by weather, leaky roof, NC State star Johnson to miss ACC tournament, 8 ejected after UK-Florida scuffle at SEC tourney, All in the family: how three generations of Jaquezes have ruled West Coast basketball.