With the hire of Boston Celtics assistant coach Kara Lawson to become the next head of Duke Women’s Basketball, goodbyes are in order — but also, a vacuum in the Celtics’ Disney ‘bubble’ staff is in need of filling.
The beloved assistant will leave behind big shoes to fill in both the short and long term, though for now, the only objective internally for the team is filling her spot in the Disney NBA campus with the best candidate already on the staff.
In Monday’s Disney restart media availability for the team, head coach Brad Stevens shared that they’d already decided on who that will be — assistant coach Brandon Bailey.
“Brandon … will be here whenever they allow him to come,” offered the Celtics head coach, adding that Lawson will be with the team a few more days. “Brandon is kind of our defensive checklist guy to make sure that we go through everything we need to go through and prepare [for] in a short amount of time. And he’s amazing with that,” Stevens added.
Lawson, while around for a bit longer before starting her journey at Duke, will be greatly missed within the Celtics’ organization.
Kara Lawson officially hired as next head coach of Duke WBB program https://t.co/bUbcvirReY via @thecelticswire
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) July 11, 2020
At the same time, the team seems to a person excited for the opportunity ahead of her.
“I know I can speak for everybody on this team, we’re excited for her, we’re proud of her, and we love her,” related Marcus Smart in a recent media availability session.
Fellow Tennessee product Grant Williams bonded with Lawson during their time together with the Celtics as well, often taking in women’s college basketball and WNBA games together.
“[She is] one of the best people i know for one of the best programs in the world!” he related on Twitter regarding the Duke hire. “I am Proud of you and Happy for you and I wish you success.”
“I’ll miss you and our daily hugs,” he added.
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