DURHAM, N.C. _ Kara Lawson and Duke reached an agreement Saturday for her to become the school's new women's basketball coach, the school announced.
Lawson, currently a Boston Celtics assistant coach, held a virtual meeting with the team at 1:30 p.m. She is in Orlando, Fla., where she coached the Celtics through a practice Saturday morning.
The 39-year-old Lawson, a former Tennessee and WNBA player who won a gold medal with the U.S. at the 2008 Beijing Olympics will replace Joanne P. McCallie, who resigned on July 2 after 13 years coaching the Blue Devils.
Lawson, a former ESPN basketball analyst, takes over a Duke program that went 18-12 overall with a 12-6 ACC record last season.
McCallie resigned after Duke athletic director Kevin White didn't extend her contract, which was due to expire after the 2020-21 season. Her discomfort over entering the final season of her contract without assurances of a new deal led her to walk away, she said.
McCallie posted a 330-107 record for a .755 winning percentage, winning three ACC tournaments and making the NCAA Tournament final eight four times.
The program's success, though, dipped in recent seasons. Duke missed the NCAA Tournament in 2016, the first time that had happened since 1994. In 2018-19, Duke finished 15-15, the first time it failed to have a winning season since 1992-93, with a 6-10 ACC record.
By becoming the fifth head coach in program history, Lawson's task is to rejuvenate a program that made Final Four appearances in 1999, 2002, 2003 and 2006 under McCallie's predecessor, Gail Goestenkors.
Rice head coach Tina Langley was the other finalist for the job and Drake coach Jennie Baranczyk also received strong consideration.
Sacramento Kings player development coach Lindsey Harding, a star player at Duke under Goestenkors whose retired jersey No. 10 hangs in Cameron Indoor Stadium's rafters, interviewed for the job. Her history with the Duke program gave the 36-year-old Harding strong support among the Duke community.
