Kara Lawson expected to become next coach at Duke

After the departure of Joanne P. McCallie, Kara Lawson is reportedly set to become the next women’s basketbakl coach at Duke.

Entering her 14th season as Duke women’s basketball coach, but also entering the final year of her contract, Joanne P. McCallie announced she would not be returning last month. On Friday The Raleigh News & Observer reported Duke was close to hiring Kara Lawson to replace McCallie. ESPN later reported the two sides were in talks.

Lawson has spent this season as an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics. She previously worked as a studio or game analyst or ESPN (NBA, WNBA and college basketball), the Washington Wizards and Sacramento Kings, drawing worthy national praise for her work.

Lawson, 39, is a very familiar name to college basketball fans. During her playing career at Tennessee (1999-2003) she led the Volunteers to three Final Fours and two national titles. She then had a long career in the WNBA from 2003-2015, earning one All-Star selection (2007) and winning a title with Sacramento Monarchs in 2005.

Lawson also won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

McCallie had a lot of success at Duke, earning ACC Coach of the Year three times with a 330-107 record and 10 NCAA Tournament trips over her 13 seasons. But the Blue Devils have finished outside the top-three in the conference regular season standings in four of the past seven seasons, with no ACC titles in that span. The arrivals of national powers Notre Dame and Louisville in the conference has made the Duke job more challenging.

Getting top players in recruiting has not been an issue for Duke. But adding Lawson’s acumen and name recognition to the school’s brand would naturally push things to a higher level.

McCallie’s decision not to return forced Duke into a search for a new coach. But hiring Lawson, assuming contract details get ironed out, looks like the ideal end result.