MIAMI (United States) – USA Basketball has announced that Kara Lawson, head coach of the Duke University women’s basketball team, will lead the USA Women’s National Team at the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2025, set to take place from June 28 to July 6 in Santiago, Chile. Lawson will be joined on the bench by DeLisha Milton-Jones (Old Dominion University) and Jennie Baranczyk (University of Oklahoma) as assistant coaches.
Lawson brings an outstanding record with USA Basketball, having won nine gold medals and compiled a 75-5 record across various coaching roles. Her résumé includes serving as an assistant coach at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and leading the gold-medal-winning USA 3x3 Women’s Team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. As a player, Lawson also won gold at the 2008 Olympics and the 2007 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup. “I'm incredibly honored to be named the 2025 Women's AmeriCup Head Coach” Lawson said in a statement from USA Basketball. “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 that I'm very excited about. I always look forward to serving USA Basketball in any capacity that I am asked."
"The goal is to put together a competitive team, one that represents all the standards that 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,” she added.
Lawson has been at the helm of Duke’s program since 2020. In the most recent NCAA Division I season, she led the Blue Devils to a 29-8 record, the program’s highest win total in over a decade, and a spot in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. She also spent the 2019–20 season as an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics in the NBA. Milton-Jones, a two-time Olympic gold medalist as a player (2000 and 2008), will take on her third assistant coaching role with USA Basketball. Baranczyk will make her official debut on the national team coaching staff after previously contributing as a court coach at USA U19 training camps. At the 2025 AmeriCup, the United States will compete in Group B, opening the tournament against host nation Chile, followed by games against Colombia, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. The U.S. team, which will be seeking its fifth continental title after finishing second in Mexico 2023, will announce its final roster following trials in June in Colorado Springs. FIBA