Kara Lawson emerges as leading candidate for Duke WBB job
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Carnac
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She would be an excellent hire if they can coax her away from Boston. I’m not a Duke fan. I don't have anything against them, but I’m a huge Kara Lawson fan, and would vigorously root for her success. I don’t know if Tennessee offered her their recent HC position. If they didn’t, they should have. Lawson is on the the board of trustees at Tennessee. Lawson recently criticized the lack of diversity in the Lady Vols coaching ranks during a June board meeting. "It's not just striking," Lawson said of the lack of diversity at Tennessee, "there isn't any."
The latest reports have Lawson as the leading candidate for the job. The Raleigh News & Observer first reported that Duke had zeroed in on Lawson to be its next coach. Lawson would be the first Black head coach in program history. The sources requested anonymity because the negotiations are still ongoing. While the job has yet to be offered to Lawson, she emerged as the choice of the school’s administration this week.
Lawson is currently a Boston Celtics assistant coach. She is with the team in Orlando, isolated per NBA protocols and is set to help run practice this weekend. Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca, who also is a Duke Board of Trustees member, supports Lawson’s hiring at the school, sources said.
If Lawson takes the job -
It's late in the recruiting year for the 2020 class. Every player in the top 100 of the 2020 ESPN Hoopgurlz class has committed. Duke has one player in the top 100 from the 2020 class coming in.
Other posters have said that the roster is pretty thin, it is. They lose 2 seniors, return 5 sophomores along with one incoming freshman #37 Vanessa DeJesus, a 5-8 PG from Sierra Canyon HS (CA), for a total of 11 players. Lawson and her staff may want to find a player or two to fill out the roster.
Lawson should not have any problems finding coaches (including an experienced former HC) that would love to work with her and be more than willing to accept the challenge of rebuilding Duke's WBB program, and return it to prominence. The Blue Devils finished 3rd in the ACC going 18-12 this past season.
[Roster]
The latest reports have Lawson as the leading candidate for the job. The Raleigh News & Observer first reported that Duke had zeroed in on Lawson to be its next coach. Lawson would be the first Black head coach in program history. The sources requested anonymity because the negotiations are still ongoing. While the job has yet to be offered to Lawson, she emerged as the choice of the school’s administration this week.
Lawson is currently a Boston Celtics assistant coach. She is with the team in Orlando, isolated per NBA protocols and is set to help run practice this weekend. Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca, who also is a Duke Board of Trustees member, supports Lawson’s hiring at the school, sources said.
If Lawson takes the job -
It's late in the recruiting year for the 2020 class. Every player in the top 100 of the 2020 ESPN Hoopgurlz class has committed. Duke has one player in the top 100 from the 2020 class coming in.
Other posters have said that the roster is pretty thin, it is. They lose 2 seniors, return 5 sophomores along with one incoming freshman #37 Vanessa DeJesus, a 5-8 PG from Sierra Canyon HS (CA), for a total of 11 players. Lawson and her staff may want to find a player or two to fill out the roster.
Lawson should not have any problems finding coaches (including an experienced former HC) that would love to work with her and be more than willing to accept the challenge of rebuilding Duke's WBB program, and return it to prominence. The Blue Devils finished 3rd in the ACC going 18-12 this past season.
[Roster]
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triaddukefan
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Not my first choice, but I wouldn't be upset.
Carnac
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Who is your first choice?
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I know Kara has had some experience coaching our 3x3 women, but has she had
any other coaching experience? Don't know, just asking.
any other coaching experience? Don't know, just asking.
bballnut90
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They didn't, she was a candidate though. KJH made sense because she has ample head coaching experience where Kara is pretty new in that realm. I would've been fully on board to roll the dice with Kara. She has an aura about her that just oozes success and based on how she explains things I think she'd make an excellent head coach.
CL82
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I don't know how to feel about this. I had come around to liking post Tennessee Kara. Does this mean I have to "dislike her" again?
If she gets the gig, I'd expect more UConn/Duke games. I'll bet that she see value in them.
If she gets the gig, I'd expect more UConn/Duke games. I'll bet that she see value in them.
triaddukefan
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UConnCat
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Assistant coach for Celtics for 3/4 of a season. I'd discount the 3x3 experience because coaches aren't allowed on the bench for 3x3 games per FIBA rules.
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As a diehard Uconn fan i can't figure out why i also usually root for both Stanford and Duke. If Kara becomes Duke's coach i will be an even bigger fan of Duke.She is a class act.Of course if Uconn plays them i hope we beat them by 40.
triaddukefan
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Homerun hire if it happens.
Coler
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Same. I would have become a DWB fan again if GG came back. Not a bad hire, but meh. I guess we'll see how she does.
triaddukefan
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I've mentally prepared myself for AD White to mess this up and for her not to be hired.
MilfordHusky
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If they try to do it on the cheap, it could fall through. I don’t know why Tenn didn’t hire Kara, but I wonder if money was the issue.I've mentally prepared myself for AD White to mess this up and for her not to be hired.
nwhoopfan
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Exactly. Until someone has actually shown themself to be a successful head coach, it's a crap shoot. Doesn't matter how good of a player they were, or how good their pedigree as an assistant.
Carnac
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No! You don't have to dislike Kara. It's OK to "like" and cheer for her. You can sit next to me on the front row of her cheering section. We'll have a good time watching her build and improve her program. If hired, Duke will become another program that will vie for the top HS elite players every year along with UConn, ND, South Carolina, Louisville, Baylor, Maryland, Texas, Stanford, Oregon, etc. It won't be easy, but she has lots of friends and associates she can call on for guidance.
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Dillon77
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Two Things of Note from Writer Steve Wiseman of the News & Observer:
- Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca, who also is a Duke Board of Trustees member, supports Lawson’s hiring at the school, sources said.
- Lawson joined Rice coach Tina Langley, a former Maryland assistant, as finalists for the job, sources said. Drake coach Jennie Baranczyk and former Duke all-ACC player Lindsey Harding, now a player development coach with the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, were also consideration.
(Dillon: Langley was a coach I thought had a strong chance, in part due to Rice being a similar academic school to Duke.)
A few other thoughts:
- Lawson's coaching experience is relatively minimal (Celtics, USA Basketball 3x3 with Sam B. Aliyah Boston, Paige Bueckers, Hailey Van Lith), but those gigs seemed to have gone well. She brings some serious basketball IQ and is personable, even charismatic.
In short, she'll help with recruiting immediately. Kids will want to play for a Lawson at Duke, an Ivey at ND a, a Banghart at UNC. As noted in many posts, Duke has fallen behind ACC foes in terms of recruiting, so I'm sure they're counting on Lawson to help counteract that.
- Would help immensely for her to get a seasoned coach with HC experience in the office and on the bench next to her. I wonder if she'd think of her former assistant coach at UTenn, one Holly Warlick. Holly isn't the greatest bench coach in mankind, but she is -- ironically -- a superb recruiter, knows the region and probably still has contacts throughout the AAU world.
- Speaking of that, how is Tennessee feeling that when UTenn needed an HC, nary a word was heard re: Kara, who ended up with the Celtics. But when the Duke position opened up, she was on Triad time.
Boy, times have changed since she was a Volunteer.
- Lastly, HC experience was apparently not a huge deal in two big hires this spring (Niele, Kara). Makes one wonder if UConn could follow suit -- emphasis on could -- when Geno A. eventually hangs them up....Shea Ralph or....Rebecca Lobo?
In any case, good luck to all our Duke posters. Triad...have a pizza or ice cream or both.
- Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca, who also is a Duke Board of Trustees member, supports Lawson’s hiring at the school, sources said.
- Lawson joined Rice coach Tina Langley, a former Maryland assistant, as finalists for the job, sources said. Drake coach Jennie Baranczyk and former Duke all-ACC player Lindsey Harding, now a player development coach with the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, were also consideration.
(Dillon: Langley was a coach I thought had a strong chance, in part due to Rice being a similar academic school to Duke.)
A few other thoughts:
- Lawson's coaching experience is relatively minimal (Celtics, USA Basketball 3x3 with Sam B. Aliyah Boston, Paige Bueckers, Hailey Van Lith), but those gigs seemed to have gone well. She brings some serious basketball IQ and is personable, even charismatic.
In short, she'll help with recruiting immediately. Kids will want to play for a Lawson at Duke, an Ivey at ND a, a Banghart at UNC. As noted in many posts, Duke has fallen behind ACC foes in terms of recruiting, so I'm sure they're counting on Lawson to help counteract that.
- Would help immensely for her to get a seasoned coach with HC experience in the office and on the bench next to her. I wonder if she'd think of her former assistant coach at UTenn, one Holly Warlick. Holly isn't the greatest bench coach in mankind, but she is -- ironically -- a superb recruiter, knows the region and probably still has contacts throughout the AAU world.
- Speaking of that, how is Tennessee feeling that when UTenn needed an HC, nary a word was heard re: Kara, who ended up with the Celtics. But when the Duke position opened up, she was on Triad time.
Boy, times have changed since she was a Volunteer.
- Lastly, HC experience was apparently not a huge deal in two big hires this spring (Niele, Kara). Makes one wonder if UConn could follow suit -- emphasis on could -- when Geno A. eventually hangs them up....Shea Ralph or....Rebecca Lobo?
In any case, good luck to all our Duke posters. Triad...have a pizza or ice cream or both.
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I love Kara and her ability.... that would be great for Duke....
Carnac
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I've mentally prepared myself for AD White to mess this up and for her not to be hired.
Like Louisiana Tech did with Kim Mulkey?
I understand they decided to take a "frugal" approach in contract negotiations and lost out to Baylor. She would have returned Tech to prominence and won national championships for them if they had hired her. Tech is still nowhere to be found on the landscape of WCBB. When was the last time they were ranked?
I know nothing about your AD White. Does he have a less than stellar track record of securing good hires?
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