Mark Bergin is a senior multiplatform producer at WRAL.

Kara Lawson, the head coach of Duke’s women’s basketball team, will be going to Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics, according to an announcement from the university on Tuesday.

Lawson has been selected as an assistant coach for the USA Basketball Women’s National Team, along with Mike Thibault (Washington Mystics) and Joni Taylor (Texas A&M). They will work under head coach Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota Lynx).

“It means a lot because I was a player that played in the program and now to be able to coach in the program is a full circle moment for me,” Lawson said in a university-issued release. “To be able to coach under Cheryl Reeve, someone that I have a great deal of respect for and learned a lot from already

“I can’t think of a better way to spend a few weeks next summer than in Paris.”

The coaching staff was chosen by the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Committee.

Lawson stated that as a child, their initial sports aspiration was to compete for the United States in the Olympic Games, specifically in track and field events.

I observed the 100-meter race and it was my ultimate ambition. As I aged, I lost some speed and ended up choosing basketball as my sport. However, my ultimate goal was always to compete at the highest international level. The same applies to being a coach. It is a great honor to have been selected for the Paris Olympics coaching staff and to assist the National Team in their pursuit of another gold medal.

The 2024 Olympics will be held from July 26 to August 11. The women’s 5-on-5 basketball tournament will run from July 27 to August 11, with the preliminary round taking place in Lille, France.

USA Basketball is aiming for its eighth straight Olympic gold medal and 11th overall since 1996. The team achieved gold at the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup with a flawless 8-0 record.

Lawson, who has been the head coach for the Blue Devils for four seasons, first joined USA Basketball as an athlete in 1998. She achieved a bronze medal at the USA World Youth Games. During her time as a player, Lawson earned gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games, 2007 FIBA Americas Championship, and 2001 World University Games.

Lawson has taken on multiple head coaching positions for 3×3 junior and senior national teams. Since assuming the role in 2017, she has led Team USA Basketball 3×3 to seven gold medals. Additionally, Lawson was a court coach at the 2022 spring training camp for the USA Basketball Women’s National Team in Minneapolis.

Source: wralsportsfan.com