Duke's head coach Kara Lawson is at the helm of Team USA as they battle their way through the FIBA World Cup in Berlin. Despite the wishes of some fans, she's kept the same group of starters the entire time: veterans Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, Kahleah Copper, Napheesa Collier, and Breanna Stewart. Though they've been spending the regular season with the Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury, Minnesota Lynx, and New York Liberty, respectively, these five have played together before on the international stage and know what it takes to win.
That's reason alone for Lawson to keep the lineup the way it's been, but there's also even more that supports her decision to continuously start these five players over the newcomers. The group knows exactly how to set up their younger counterparts when it's their turn to check into the game, and, as they've each proven so far this tournament cycle, they know how to deliver when the team needs a big swing from someone who's done this before.
There are plenty of fans out there who want Lawson to start Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers in today's finals match, but that's something that very likely is not going to happen. Obviously, Lawson knows what she's doing — the Americans have won each match they've played up to this point.
If there was a game during which it would have made sense for Lawson to make changes to the lineup, it would have been USA's game against Hungary. That's simply because the Americans far outmatched their opposition, which could have given Lawson the opportunity to appease some fans and see if any other combinations of players could work from the beginning. But Lawson kept things the same, and that allowed the younger group to take things home from early on.
Lawson has made it clear throughout the World Cup that she wasn't interested in appealing to the thoughts or expectations of fans or even analysts, which is her right (and duty, some could argue) as head coach. Though she's already been vindicated for taking that position, tacking on another gold medal in Sunday's final match against France would effectively shut down any remaining detractors.
If there's any group that's proved they're happy with how Lawson has led the team, it's the players themselves. After Lawson delivered a passionate postgame speech to the roster after their narrow win over Italy, the team "took it as a challenge," Napheesa Collier told reporters. And it's clear that they're planning to take things all the way.
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