1:43 PM ET
Mechelle VoepelESPN.com
Duke has employed former Tennessee and WNBA guard Kara Lawson as its womens basketball coach, the school announced Saturday.
Lawson, 39, had actually been an assistant with the Boston Celtics before taking over at Duke. She will replace Joanne P. McCallie, who revealed on July 2 that she wouldnt return for a 14th season. She d went into the last year of her agreement without an extension.
Lawson is the very first Black head coach in program history. She is likewise the fifth Black coach in the ACC, along with Syracuses Quentin Hillsman, Virginia Techs Kenny Brooks, Virginias Tina Thompson and Niele Ivey, who took over at Notre Dame in April.
Thompson and Ivey are likewise previous WNBA players.
CloseMechelle Voepel covers the WNBA, ladiess college basketball, and other college sports for espnW. Voepel began covering womens basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN considering that 1996.
AUTHORITIES.
Welcome to Duke, Kara Lawson! pic.twitter.com/0IIV5WprPD— Duke Womens Basketball (@DukeWBB) July 11, 2020
— Kara Lawson (@karalawson20) July 11, 2020
At Tennessee from 1999 to 2003, Lawson played under Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt, leading the Lady Vols to NCAA national championship looks in 2000 and 2003, losing to UConn both times. Lawson is on the board of trustees at her university.
Lawson played in the WNBA from 2003 through 2015, winning the 2005 champion with Sacramento, and became part of the gold-medal-winning 2008 U.S. Olympic team. She worked as a television analyst for NBA and college basketball video games prior to the Celtics employed her in June 2019.
McCallie was 330-107 in her 13 seasons and was a three-time league coach of the year. Her teams won at least a share of the regular-season title 4 times and three ACC tournament titles, while also making 10 journeys to the NCAA tournament, including 4 consecutive journeys to the Elite Eight (2010-13).
But with the arrival of Notre Dame and Louisville to the ACC, Dukes success started to wane. The Blue Devils have not finished amongst the leagues leading three teams in the regular season in four of the past 7 seasons.
McCallie had actually taken over from Gail Goestenkors, who took control of at Duke in 1992 and had seven straight 30-win seasons– together with making the Womens Final Four four times– before leaving for Texas in 2007.
