When Duke named Kara Lawson head coach in 2020, it was a new era for Blue Devils basketball. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Lawson’s leadership is taking the team to new heights. Although no one knows what Duke is paying her to rejuvenate their program, ever since her arrival, Lawson has been a transformative figure at Duke. Her philosophy is grounded in fundamentals, team chemistry, and focusing on the present. “We look more at October than we do March,” Lawson said in an interview with “the duke chronicle” when asked about long-term goals.

“I’m sure at some point, probably in March, we’ll think about March. But for right now, we’ve just been focusing on trying to get our system installed, get our young players understanding what we’re trying to do on both ends, and just try to build this new chemistry for this group.” This focused, day-by-day approach has given Duke the stability it needed after years of fluctuating performance.

Kara Lawson’s vision: Reviving Duke women’s basketball and pushing for NCAA glory

Ever since Gail Goestenkor’s era, Duke Women’s basketball team has never reached the final four of the NCAA championships. Even Lawson’s predecessor Joanne P. McCallie who maintained a 75 % win rate couldn’t help the Blue Devils reach the oh-so-elusive final four.

This was exactly why they needed Kara Marie Lawson, a veteran of the court who had played almost all the important roles in the sport of basketball, be it being a player or a coach. In her four completed seasons, Lawson led the Blue Devils to a 68-33 record, with two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, while helping the Devils attain a reputation for being one of the nation’s top defensive teams.

During the 2023-24 season, Duke had  22 wins and 12 losses, advancing to the program’s 18th Regional Semifinal. That too during a time when she was still formulating her ideal team. Head Coach Kara’s efforts on the defensive end especially were something that stifled the Blue Devils’ opponents. This was visible on the stats sheet when Duke held 33 of its 34 opponents below their season scoring averages, ranking near the top nationally in scoring defense and blocks. However, she is a coach both on and off the court.

Under her guidance, four players have received major honors, with Oluchi Okananwa recently earning the ACC Sixth Player of the Year and Reigan Richardson making the All-ACC Second Team. In previous seasons, Celeste Taylor received the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award and was named a finalist for the Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Kara Lawson’s knack for developing players stems from her time at Tennessee, where she learned invaluable lessons from the legendary Pat Summitt. In an interview with the Fayetteville Observer, Lawson reflected on Summitt’s approach to coaching, saying, “What Coach Summitt taught me was that if you push a player long enough to meet a high standard, something remarkable happens—they eventually push themselves.”

Three feathers to the hat

The HC’s wealth of experience with USA Basketball further solidified her expertise. In the 2024 Paris Olympics, Lawson served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Women’s National Team, contributing to their eighth consecutive gold medal.

Her coaching resume with USA Basketball also includes leading the U.S. 3×3 Women’s National Team to its historic first Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021. This achievement made Lawson one of only three women in Olympic history to win gold as both a player and a coach.

Before her coaching days, Lawson’s playing career was nothing short of legendary. At the University of Tennessee, she led the Lady Vols to three NCAA Final Fours and became known for her sharpshooting and gritty play. Lawson is still Tennessee’s third all-time leader in three-pointers, and her legacy there continues, as she now sits on the board of trustees at her alma mater. She would later continue her basketball career in the WNBA, where she was drafted by the Detroit Shock in 2003 and traded to the Sacramento Monarchs, with whom she went on to win a WNBA championship in 2005.

While still playing for the WNBA, Coach Lawson mastered another facet of the game when she started her broadcasting career. This helped her become the first female analyst for a nationally televised NBA game in 2007. It was during this time that she crossed paths with her future spouse, fellow broadcaster Damien Barling, who worked at ESPN 1320. The couple got married in April 2008.

Lawson’s dream realized as Head Coach

However, true glory beckoned her back to the court, this time with a clipboard as a Coach. A transition that wasn’t just a career move; but a fulfillment of a lifelong dream. “Well, it is a dream come true for me,” she said when hired at Duke. “I have wanted to be a coach since I was a kid. To have an opportunity to lead a group of young women at a prestigious university like Duke — I have run out of words; it is unbelievable and very exciting.”

This is the very same passion that Duke athletic director Kevin White saw in Coach Lawson and her impressive resume, which led him to praise her as “a highly-seasoned champion at multiple levels within the basketball landscape.”

A key stepping stone in her journey was her tenure with the Boston Celtics, where she became the Celtics’ first female assistant coach. This would give her an opportunity to work closely with players like Marcus Smart, particularly on shooting techniques, adding to her expertise in skill development.

Today, Lawson’s journey has come full circle as she leads Duke in the highly competitive ACC. With her goal set and finally getting a steady team Lawson is all set to help Duke emerge as a powerhouse.