Duke hires Lawson as coach

Duke has turned to Celtics assistant and former WNBA All-Star Kara Lawson to lead its women’s basketball program.

The school announced the hiring in a social media post July 11, a little more than a week after Joanne P. McCallie announced she wouldn’t return for a 14th season as she entered the final year of her contract.

It is the first college head-coaching job for the 39-year-old Lawson, who played under Pat Summitt at Tennessee before a long WNBA career as well as work in broadcasting.

In a statement, Lawson called it “a dream come true” for someone who “wanted to be a coach since I was a kid.”