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. 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. As the Blue Devils hit the court and weight room over the summer and into early fall, it became apparent the depth, skill and athleticism were all there to run the defensive schemes the coaching staff favored. A men's ball is 29.5 inches in circumference and approximately 22 ounces, while a women's ball is 28.5 inches in diameter and approximately 20 ounces. Taylor, Vanessa 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. Jackson also went to the Women's Final Four as a player . Havas, Mia Earlier in the fourth, Reigan Richardson's jumper off a Tar Heel turnover gave Duke the fourth tie of the period and then Elizabeth Balogun made a pair of free throws to give the Blue Devils a 42-40 lead with 1:58 remaining. 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. All those things are part of the handle-hard equation, she says. Lawson said that, throughout the first half, Duke players were "complaining about the ball." The Irish (24-4) will play in Friday's second quarterfinal at 2 p.m. Duke (24-5) is the No. TAYLOR'S VERSION: Taylor, Balogun lead Duke women's basketball to upset win at No. I guess this gave her a lift., We all are searching for positivity, encouragement, and inspirationespecially right now, says Lawson. Slow offense has cost the team in multiple games, including its most recent loss to North Carolina. 8 Maryland. Women's Basketball - Duke University The official Women's Basketball page for the Duke University The official Women's Basketball page for the Duke University The official. Contact the Coaches; Recruit Info; Recruiting Questionnaire; Stats. 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. Women's basketball vs. Duke. 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. The independent news organization of Duke University. They're superwomen. 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. Heide, Emma Lawson, Tia Following the thorough and objective review process, there was no evidence found to support the claim. 2023 Duke Athletics. Gandy helped the Owls to a 72-22 overall record and a 42-8 mark in Conference USA the past three seasons. Moving You and Humanity Forward. 13 Duke wound up on top with a 44-40 win over No. Head Coach. The Tar Heels cracked their third-year coach's tournament goose egg with a second-round win over Clemson on Friday. There are a thousand different presses you could run. For UNC, Deja Kelly led the way with 11 points. The trio boasts a combined. The conference office considers this matter to be closed and will have no further comment.". Hes one of the finest player development coaches in the country; thats one of his superpowers. It doesn't get shorter. 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). So, if Duke was going to be competitive for an ACC title and make an NCAA Tournament run something had to change. Take time away when you need a break. 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. Shayeann Day-Wilson made a free throw to push Duke's lead to two possessions and seal the win. This Duke team has shown elite fight game-in and game-out, along with a serious will to win. During our Sunday Paper editorial meeting this past week, we were all talking about Kara Lawson. The independent news organization of Duke University. UNC coach Courtney Banghart had no wins in the ACC Tournament before this season. "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. "We have concluded through our investigation that it was a men's ball," Lawson later added." Jacob Camenker is a senior content producer at The Sporting News. 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. A self-proclaimed crazy dreamer of a person, Lawson offers a needed dose of positivity and motivation. Tia is coming back to Durham, and we are clearly excited, said Lawson. Powerful Stories. Journalism Above the Noise. I am ecstatic., Three assistants combine for 46 years experience, Duke Women's Basketball Coach Kara Lawson Introductory Press Conference. Richardson had 10. We wait for life to get easier, Lawson told her Duke team. And why did Lawson leave the Celtics? Carver-Hawkeye Arena; Welcome to Campus; The University of Iowa; Iowa City; Contact. Once again, with the help of the loud-as-ever Cameron . "It's very frustrating that [the game] was not treated with the utmost respect that players on both teams deserve," she said. 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. She is perhaps best known as the women's college basketball head coach of Duke University and The University of Texas. Im always surprised. But Lawson is more inspired because everyone has something to face. Kara Lawson patrols the sidelines during Duke's home win Thursday evening against Pittsburgh. "This would never happen in a men's game, this would never happen. I think she'll do a great, great job for us.". Scott Merritt. 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. While NC State just recently began racking up ACC Tournament championships, the program had consistently been knocking at the door for years prior to its three-peat, finishing the regular season in the top-four of the conference each year since 2017. Her previous stint at Duke was from 2005 to 2007, which included a 2006 national runner-up finish. 13 Duke Rallies for Ally ACC Tournament Quarterfinal Win Over North Carolina, No. When we step on the court, we know defense comes first.. 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. Duke's Lawson adds Cunningham among 3 hires. 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. PACK IT UP:NC State women's basketball's quest for 4th straight ACC Tournament title ends vs. Notre Dame. 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. In short, the game had steep implications for both the conference and NCAA tournament seedings, which Lawson mentioned. 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.. 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.. 2022-23 Women's Basketball Coaching Staff. Brown, in her first season at Duke after transferring from Oregon State, is a major disruptor around the basket standing at 6-foot-6. Jackson has 24 years of coaching experience, including four as coach of Washington. As a player, Cunningham, then known as Beth Morgan, helped lead Notre Dame to its first Women's Final Four in 1997. Duke has forced 536 opposing turnovers in 29 games this season, 101 more than last season's 30-game total. She was a Duke assistant from 2005 to 2007 and most recently spent five seasons as an assistant at Miami. Shes really, really good.. "You have to feed them," Gamecocks coach and former Virginia Final Four guard Dawn Staley said earlier this season about the . The obvious answer is Celeste, Lange said when asked about who is key to the defense. Bollin, Imani 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. "I wanted to appeal and protest the game. Virginia Tech . 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. Schmidt, Kara Corosdale, Jordyn Looking to Find More Joy in a World Filled With Pain? And the student-athletes must have the confidence that their teammates will always have their backs, because defense is a total team effort. It's an amazing life lesson and feeling when you do something you didn't think initially you could do. Lawson has long been involved with professional basketball. Assistant Coach. There is no additional information to display. A best-in-class newsletter that Inspires Hearts and Minds and Moves 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. We See You: Inspiring Women. Duke women's basketball fell in its regular-season finale to rival North Carolina, breaking its season-long home win streak. But life never gets easier. Full access to Maria's collection of inspiring weekly essays. 1:51. 2 seed entering the ACC tournament, one game behind Notre Dame. "I have a lot of young minority women that are super intelligent and that can play basketball at a high level. The Duke Womens 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. All five on the court at the same time. Shes in her forties and is a mom and trying to navigate it all. We may have played some teams in the nonconference that challenged us defensively in many ways and stretched us. The presence of it often leads to success. She didn't coach in The Bubble, as she had already left for Duke, but her footprint was clearly on that squad. 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. Since 1996, she has been an assistant at six different programs, along with being head coach at Washington from 2007 to 2011. It has been a place that I have held very near and dear to my heart over the years. Hearing the consistency and the ownership in games has been a huge change for us. We all need that. 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 Blue Devils ranked 11th in the ACC and 156th in the country in field goal percentage defense. This Expert Has the Secret to Easing Your Mind, Still in the Game: New Campaign Starring Veteran Storytellers Challenges Hollywood to #RethinkAging. Duke passed that test with flying colors. Down three with 15 seconds left, Fighting Irish junior guard Olivia Miles broke the Blue Devil press and drove down the court.