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USA Basketball Announces Women's National Team Assistant Coaches for 2024 Summer Olympic Games

February 13, 2024 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Washington Mystics News Release


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado - USA Basketball announced the assistant coaches for the 2024 USA Basketball Women's National Team, which will compete at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. USA Women's National Team head coach Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota Lynx) will be assisted by Mike Thibault (Washington Mystics), Kara Lawson (Duke University) and Joni Taylor (Texas A&M). The coaching staff, who together led the USA to a gold medal at the 2022 FIBA Women's World Cup, was selected by the USA Basketball Women's National Team Committee.

"After winning the gold in Sydney, it's exciting to have Mike, Kara and Joni once again joining Cheryl and the USA Women's National Team for the 2024 Paris Olympics," said USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley. "Our staff has decades of diverse coaching experience and I'm looking forward to watching them lead our women's team with the goal of winning an eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal."

In addition to the 2022 World Cup, Thibault, Lawson and Taylor all have previous USA Basketball coaching experience having coached on the junior national or national team levels. Lawson also touts a decade-long USA Basketball playing career.

"I really enjoyed the time that our staff had over in Sydney at the World Cup, our first time in competition together," Reeve said. "Each has different strengths they bring to the table and I'm looking forward to working with them for the run in Paris."

Thibault boasts nearly 30 years of coaching experience with the USA Basketball men's and women's programs, with assignments dating back to 1993. On the women's side, Thibault served as an assistant coach with gold-medal-winning teams at the 2008 Olympic Games and 2007 FIBA Americas Championship.

Thibault has enjoyed an illustrious coaching career in the WNBA and currently serves as general manager with the Washington Mystics following a decade-long stint as the team's head coach and general manager. With 379 career wins over a 20-year head coaching career with the Mystics (2013-22) and Connecticut Sun (2003-12), Thibault is the winningest coach in WNBA history, a three-time WNBA Coach of the Year (2006, 2008, 2013) and 2019 WNBA champion.

Lawson began her USA Basketball career as an athlete in 1998, winning the bronze medal at the World Youth Games. Through her tenure as a player, Lawson captured gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games, 2007 FIBA Americas Championship and the 2001 World University Games.

As a coach, Lawson has had several head coaching roles since 2017. Lawson has led USA women's teams to seven 3x3 gold medals, including at the 2020 Toyko Olympics, 2017 and 2019 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cups and 2018 Youth Olympic Games.

Lawson has been the head coach at Duke since July 2020. Prior to arriving in Durham, North Carolina, Lawson was an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics for the 2019-20 season.

Taylor, who most recently served as head coach of the 2023 USA Women's U19 National Team that won gold at the 2023 FIBA U19 Women's World Cup, will undertake her sixth USA Basketball assignment.

Taylor is in her second season as the women's basketball coach at Texas A&M. Previously, she spent seven seasons as the head coach at University of Georgia, where she compiled a 140-75 record, posted seven winning seasons and advanced to the NCAA Tournament four of the six years it was held.

The 2024 Olympic Games are set for July 26-Aug. 11 with the women's 5-on-5 basketball competition taking place July 27-Aug. 11, with the preliminary round taking place in Lille, France.

The USA is seeking its eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal, and 11th overall, dating back to 1996. The U.S. won gold at the 2022 FIBA Women's World Cup, notching a perfect 8-0 record.

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