Lexi Gordon was starting over. So was Celeste Taylor.

So were 13 other players and four coaches.

Duke women’s basketball was starting over.

After playing only four games in 2020, the Blue Devils made the decision to stop the season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. During the extra-long offseason, first-year head coach Kara Lawson got to work, securing eight transfer students and signing two freshmen. So, even the three remaining players who had already spent time at Duke were entering a new situation. It was a completely new team.

“There were definitely nerves, especially because everything was so unknown,” said Gordon, who transferred from UConn to Texas Tech in 2019 before eventually landing at Duke. “There were so many different people coming from different places. And you wonder, ‘Are we going to mesh? Am I going to like my teammates?’”

But Lawson didn’t put together a roster of misfits. Those eight transfers were like puzzle pieces packaged in the wrong boxes — Lawson and her staff carefully sifted through the boxes, plucking out the pieces that would be perfect for the Duke puzzle.

The players had no way of knowing what the finished roster would look like when they each selected Duke. Instead, they relied on faith. And if you’re going to put your faith and basketball career in someone’s hands, Kara Lawson is a good choice. A coach with 12 years of WNBA experience and two Olympic gold medals — one as a player and one as Team USA’s 3×3 coach — knows what it takes to win.

“I think ultimately what led me to Duke was easily just that Kara is who she is,” said Taylor, a Texas transfer. “I knew she was going to build something that was going to be hard to turn down.”

The rebuilding process was something that appealed to both Taylor and Gordon, who are averaging 11.7 and 9.1 points per game, respectively, for the Blue Devils this season.

“For me, that was one of the biggest things that I looked at personally,” Taylor said. “Whether it was rebuilding a program, or just coming in and changing the culture of a program to a winning culture, to just have a competitive nature and competitive mindset.

“I think that is so important because we are going to be part of a legacy.”

When the 2021-22 season started, the legacy of this Duke team probably wasn’t on anyone’s radar outside of its own locker room. But slowly, the Blue Devils began to turn heads. They opened play with seven-straight wins and, with a 79-64 defeat of No. 9 Iowa on Dec. 3, reentered the national conversation.

Duke, which hadn’t been ranked in the top 25 since the 2018-19 preseason, surged to No. 19 in the AP poll that week.

“We weren’t really trying to prove to the world, to the rest of the basketball community that we can compete with teams like Iowa,” Taylor said. “But we were really just reiterating it to ourselves that we know the type of players we are, and we know the type of team we can be by the end of the season.”

Even if it wasn’t their intent, the Blue Devils did prove something. And two weeks later, when they stuck with No. 1 South Carolina before eventually losing 55-46, they proved it even more.

Duke was once again a program to be reckoned with.

The team has been a fixture in the top 25 since then, despite three more losses that followed the South Carolina defeat. Freshman guard Shayeann Day-Wilson, the 41st-ranked recruit in the Class of 2021, has been a revelation for the Blue Devils, leading the team with 12 points and 3.5 assists per game. Elizabeth Balogun, a senior transfer from Louisville, has also found a home at Duke, recording a team-high 20 blocks to go along with 10.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.

Balogun game-winner btw 🍿

😈 @eli4bathball 😈 pic.twitter.com/Oo4n3u3tmp

— Duke Women’s Basketball (@DukeWBB) January 2, 2022

Their return to the AP poll may have felt like a longtime coming to Duke fans, but from the moment they stepped on campus, the players knew it was only a matter of time.

“From the first week, we kind of made it a point of emphasis to get to know each other, hanging out and learning about each other,” Gordon said.

Players went to church together, they saw movies, they tried new restaurants or cooked. Once they knew each other as people, the Blue Devils started to learn about each other as players.

“We meshed pretty quickly,” Taylor said. “On the court, it takes time for players to learn each other’s tendencies and what they like and how they want to be spoken to. Just what motivates them. That takes time more than anything, but as of now, we are doing a pretty good job.”

Right now, Duke is eighth in a tough ACC that boasts five ranked teams (No. 3 NC State, No. 5 Louisville, No. 16 Georgia Tech, No. 20 Notre Dame and No. 21 Duke) and two teams just outside of the top 25 (Virginia Tech and North Carolina). The Blue Devils have the opportunity to jump North Carolina, who’s tied with Boston College for sixth in the ACC, on Thursday when they square off in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

With so many new faces, this will be the first time most of the Blue Devils experience the historic rivalry.

A year ago, Gordon and Taylor were on opposite sides of a rivalry, playing for Texas Tech and Texas. Taylor, a junior, spent two years at Texas, but realized during the pandemic that it was just too far from home. Durham, N.C. Is still an eight-hour drive from her home in New York, but that’s nothing compared to the 27 hours it took for her parents and siblings to get to Texas.

“My biggest thing is that I’m very independent,” she said. “But sometimes you just need someone to lean on.”

Taylor needed her family, and the move to Duke has allowed them to attend more games so far this season than over her two years at Texas.

For Gordon, the switch to Duke was more about a personal challenge and a deep connection with her coach. It wasn’t that she didn’t get along with her coaches at UConn or at Texas Tech, but something was missing.

“That bond wasn’t as strong as it could have been, and that is on me,” said the graduate student. “It’s a two-way street.”

With Lawson, the connection comes easily.

“I feel like our bond and our relationship is a little more special just because we are getting things started (with the program),” Gordon said. “It’s getting stronger and stronger.”

All eight transfers have their own reasons for choosing Duke as their second-chance school. But while they’re here now, they know the final destination has yet to be reached.

“You come here to win championships,” Gordon said. “So when I graduate and come back, I want to come back and see a program that we started, and we built a culture of winning within. And I feel like, with Kara and her staff and the people that we are recruiting, we can definitely do that.”

Eden Laase is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports. She previously ran her own high school sports website in Michigan after covering college hockey and interning at Sports Illustrated. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

In this week's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins breaks down the 2025 resurgence of the San Diego Wave, a team currently sitting in third on the NWSL table following a disastrous 2024 season.

First, Watkins chats through the Wave's 2024 on- and off-pitch losses, from the abrupt firing of head coach Casey Stoney to the midseason retirement of superstar Alex Morgan to the transfers of franchise players Abby Dahlkemper and Naomi Girma — moves that left the 2023 Shield-winners below the 2024 postseason cutoff line.

Given the 2024 upheaval, "San Diego was set up to surprise," says Watkins. "They not only look better this year than they did last year, but right now they look better than a lot of the other teams in the league despite that talent loss."

There are two reasons for the Wave's 2025 rise, argues Watkins, starting with roster construction. San Diego has a bevy of young talent, including 17-year-olds Kimmi Ascanio, Trinity Armstrong, and Melanie Barcenas, as well as notable NCAA signings in Quincy McMahon and Trinity Byars — proving the Wave is flourishing in the NWSL's post-draft era.

"This is the new era of NWSL where teams, if they can sell young players on the future, they don't have to give up assets to sign those players," explains Watkins. "The best pitch wins. And San Diego, for all of their troubles last year, seems to still have a pretty compelling pitch to get these players to sign for them."

Along with the ability to identify and sign top young talent, explains Watkins, the Wave is also putting together a fast, creative style of play that is allowing San Diego to dominate possession and snag wins.

Could San Diego be in its "dynasty build" era?

Looking forward, while San Diego is clearly on the upswing, Watkins outlines the possible final components the club still needs to push them to the top of the league.

Noting that a young core is likely to struggle with consistency, Watkins says that some midseason pickups to either "let that offense go supernova or [to secure] a veteran stabilizing midfield force would be really useful for them."

Ultimately, Watkins questions San Diego's future in the context of the club's 2024 exodus and 2025 success, asking "Is this a setup for a five-year dynasty build, or is this a team that is always going to be stuck in this cycle of strong talent ID, good development —but then those players move on?"

About 'The Late Sub' with Claire Watkins

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes on the USWNT, NWSL, and all things women's soccer. Special guest appearances featuring the biggest names in women’s sports make TLS a must-listen for every soccer fan.

Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women's Sports newsletter for more.

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Duke women's basketball head coach Kara Lawson will lead a different team this NCAA offseason, taking on sideline duties for Team USA at this summer's 2025 FIBA Women's AmeriCup in Chile, USA Basketball announced on Tuesday.

Likely one of the last coaching decisions handled by committee, Lawson — alongside assistants DeLisha Milton-Jones and Jennie Baranczyk, the head coaches of Old Dominion and Oklahoma, respectively — will aim to return the four-time champions to the top of the biannual tournament's podium, after falling short to Brazil in the 2023 gold medal game.

The 2005 WNBA champion boasts a long history of success with USA Basketball, earning 2008 Olympic gold amid multiple medals as a player before beginning her coaching career.

Since then, the 44-year-old helped lead various USA Basketball teams to an astounding 75-5 competition record, picking up nine gold medals along the way.

Most recently, Lawson added 2024 Olympic gold as an assistant coach to her inaugural 3x3 Olympic championship as a head coach at the 2021 Tokyo Games.

"I'm incredibly honored," said Lawson in a USA Basketball statement. "It's such a gift. It's a gift that has given me so much over the years as a player, as a committee member, and as a coach. I've always tried to compete and give my best.... That won't change this summer."

Taking place in the middle of the 2025 WNBA season, the Team USA roster could feature NCAA talent.

"The goal is to put together a competitive team, one that represents all the standards that we hold dear to us," added Lawson.

The 2025 FIBA AmeriCup team that Lawson will lead will be announced after next month's trials, shortly before the tournament tips off on June 28th.

FIFA announced the eight cities that will host matches at the 2027 World Cup in Brazil on Wednesday, primarily selecting sites on the South American country's East Coast over tropical regions that require more extensive travel.

In addition to Rio de Janeiro's iconic Maracanã Stadium, the tournament's 64 games will take place across Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and São Paulo.

"The selection of the host cities represents the moment where the dream begins to take shape," said Brazil’s minister of sport André Fufuca. "Each of the selected host cities represents Brazil — a diverse and vibrant Brazil, with people who are passionate about football, and places that already live and breathe the sport and that will now have the opportunity to leave a transformative legacy for their communities and for generations to come."

The 32 teams battling for the 2027 World Cup will begin their hunt on June 24th of that year, with the final taking place on July 25th.

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Marta, Formiga help announce 2027 World Cup cities

To bolster the news, FIFA tapped famous Brazilians for its announcement video, including star futsal player Amandinha and two-time NWSL champion Debinha.

Also helping drop the eight cities were the country’s most iconic women's soccer legends, Marta — the World Cup's all-time leading scorer — and Formiga, the only athlete to compete in seven editions of the tournament.

"I won't be on the pitch in 2027, but I'm always ready to represent Brazilian football – even more so at a special moment like this," said the retired Formiga.

"I know every corner of our country, and I can tell you: Each of these cities is full of women's football talents who need support and inspiration," she continued. "The Women's World Cup will be an opportunity for them to see the greatest up close and think, 'If they can be there, so can I.' That's the impact that only an event of this size can have."

Using the 2027 World Cup — the first ever hosted in South America — to grow the women's game is top-of-mind for former player Mariléia "Michael Jackson" dos Santos, who now serves as the country's director of women's football promotion.

"We want to create a solid network that will last well beyond 2027," said dos Santos. "The idea is to decentralise the impact so that women's football flourishes in every corner of the country."

"It's a unique opportunity to change the game, and we're going to make the most of it because Brazilian women's football deserves it, and so do the girls in our country."

WNBA teams continued to trim their 2025 rosters this week, as preseason matchups set the stage for the league's May 16th regular-season tip-off.

After wrapping their 2025 preseason slate on Tuesday, Wednesday saw the Las Vegas Aces waive Harvard alum Harmoni Turner — drafted 35th overall last month — and fourth-year veteran center Queen Egbo.

Turner was the Aces’ third-round pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. pic.twitter.com/buxEKqdVVe

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) May 7, 2025

Other standouts recently shown the door include Indiana Fever recruit Bree Hall (20th overall pick from South Carolina), the Seattle Storm's Madison Conner (29th overall pick from TCU), and Minnesota Lynx rookie Diamond Johnson (undrafted from Norfolk State).

While teams can sign up to 18 athletes to training camp rosters, they must whittle their lineups down to the league's regular-season max of 12 players, a system that sparks lots of movement — both in cuts and additions — in the days leading to tip off.

To that end, after the Golden State Valkyries cut their 17th overall draft pick Shyanne Sellers on Saturday, the Atlanta Dream snatched up the Maryland grad on waivers on Monday — just in time for their final preseason showdown with Indiana on Saturday.

Also receiving good news this week was Dallas's Maddy Siegrist, as the third-year forward saw the Wings exercise her fourth-year rookie option on Tuesday.

Alongside Indiana's 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston, Villanova grad Siegrist and the former South Carolina standout are the only 2023 draftees officially on rosters before the 2025 season's start.

Flush with talent and low on roster spots, the WNBA has long been one of the hardest sports leagues to secure a place in — and even more fan favorites are likely to land on the chopping block in the coming days.