How Kara Lawson’s ‘Handle Hard Better’ mantra pushed Duke back to the Sweet 16
In her fourth season as the head coach at Duke, Kara Lawson is a somewhat enigmatic figure. She’s tough and firm, known for her high expectations. But she’s also known for an inspiring pep talk in 2022 that’s gone viral and spawned a short ESPN special.
Lawson gave the team speech in the summer of 2022, unintentionally coining the phrase “handle hard better.” It wasn’t something she went around saying — it happened organically.
“We all wait in life for things to get easier. It will never get easier,” Lawson said. “What happens is you handle hard better.”
It’s a characteristic she developed during her childhood, playing for Pat Summitt at Tennessee and now as one of the youngest head coaches in the ACC. It’s one she imparts on her own players.
This season, the Blue Devils have embodied the mantra. It was unintentional, like the initial impact of the phrase, but the mindset carried Duke into the Sweet 16.
“We have handled very difficult situations this year. We’ve come up close in so many games, like, ‘Oh, we’re gonna get them next time,’” Jadyn Donovan said. “To be here now and to pull through games like we’re pulling through them now, I think it just shows you know exactly what she means by, ‘Handle hard better.’ You have that loss, we’re gonna dwell on it for that moment. Then, the next day, we’re going to move on and learn from it.”
In fact, Lawson’s young squad was picked to finish seventh in the preseason ACC poll. That’s where it landed, but the team’s résumé includes a lot of “handling hard better.” It ranks No. 17 in NET strength of schedule.
“I feel like it’s a way of life for her and she instills that within us,” Ashlon Jackson said.
It experienced tough losses against Stanford and South Carolina. It fell to N.C. State in the ACC Tournament by three points.
Lawson, however, guided the program to wins over N.C. State, Virginia Tech, Syracuse and North Carolina. It’s won three of the last four games.
It started the season with simple schemes. Now, those are more complex. They can change things and adapt to higher-level teams. And Duke knows how to have tough conversations; how to address failure in a constructive way.
When the team hits a setback, it responds. It handles hard better.
“We played one of the toughest schedules in the country. Our non-conference, we played a lot of the top teams. A lot of the teams we played are still playing that we played in our schedule,” Lawson said at a news conference Friday. “Even though we haven’t played every team left in the tournament, they know what that level feels like. That was really important for me with a young team. I didn’t want them to get to March and all of a sudden be surprised at the level of play.”
That’s why Duke is set to face No. 3 seed UConn in the Sweet 16 on Saturday. It took the early departure from the ACC Tournament and let it sting. It let that disappointment fuel a run to a regional semifinal for the first time since 2018 — before Lawson took over the program.
There were times this season when Duke fell short of its own expectations. Portions of its performances were not good enough, the team was not ready enough to win big games, Lawson said Sunday after Duke completed a 16-point comeback to upset No. 2 seed Ohio State, 75-63, in Columbus. It was the type of game that earlier in the season Duke probably would have lost.
“My job as a coach is to show them and teach them how to get better, not just say we’re not good enough. My job is to help them see and help them grow in those areas. This is why you coach; to see that growth. Now on a bright stage, to be able to see them overcome something that we struggled with during the year, it’s really, really satisfying.”
The Huskies, like the Buckeyes, are another tough team that wants to continue its season. Paige Bueckers and Co. will give Lawson and the Devils everything they’ve got. But at this point, there’s nothing for Duke to lose. Not really. Lawson’s crew has one job and one job alone: Trying to handle this version of hard better than its last.
It fully believes that’s possible, and it’s grateful for another opportunity to live that out.
“She’s set such an amazing precedent for the following years to come. I’m just so blessed and humbled truly to be a part of it,” said Oluch Okananwa. “She’s clearly done a phenomenal job. I mean, we’re here. We’re in the Sweet 16. I keep on pinching myself. It’s like, it’s your first year of collegiate basketball and to make it this far, especially with this group and her as a coach, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
