Basketball
Kara Lawson is about to add another bullet point to an already impressive resume with USA Basketball.
The organization announced Tuesday that the Duke women’s basketball coach will be the head coach for Team USA at the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup this summer in Chile. Assisting Lawson at the tournament to be held June 28 through July 6 will be Old Dominion coach Delisha Milton-Jones and Oklahoma’s Jennie Baranczyk.
“The opportunity to work with some of the top players in the country, and the opportunity to coach alongside some of the top coaches in the country is something I’m very excited about,” Lawson said in a statement. “I always look forward to serving USA Basketball in any capacity that I am asked.”
Lawson has won three Olympic gold medals with Team USA. She was the head coach of the 3×3 team that won in Tokyo in 2021, an assistant coach with the 5×5 team that won in Paris last summer, and she captured the gold as a player on the 2008 team. Over the course of her various coaching roles with Team USA, Lawson has a 75-5 record.
“It’s a gift that has given me so much over the years as a player, as a committee member and as a coach,” Lawson added. “I’ve always tried to compete and give my best in the different roles I’ve been given. That won’t change this summer. The goal is to put together a competitive team, one that represents all the standards we hold dear to us. The number one standard being excellence. I’m eagerly anticipating the journey together as we chase another gold medal for the United States.”
A product of the University of Tennessee where she played under the legendary Pat Summitt, Lawson just finished her fifth season at the helm of the Duke Blue Devils, which marked their best season in more than a decade. Duke captured the ACC Tournament title and advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2013.
The Americans won silver at the 2023 FIBA AmeriCup, falling to Brazil in the title game. That team featured mostly college stars, like Angel Reese, Rickea Jackson, Lauren Betts, Deja Kelly, Rayah Marshall and Raven Johnson. Washington State’s Kamie Ethridge was the coach of that team.
The U.S. has won four AmeriCup gold medals, with the most recent coming in 2021, with a squad powered by Rhyne Howard, Aliyah Boston and Elissa Cunane.
In the upcoming tournament, Team USA will be in Group B with Chile, Colombia, Puerto Rico and Mexico.
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