Kara Lawson is one of the most decorated players and coaches in the history of women’s basketball. She has also impacted the lives of students at an elementary school in St. Petersburg.
Lawson, head coach of the Duke University Blue Devils and the U.S. Women’s National Team, took time out of her hectic schedule Thursday to visit New Heights Elementary School. Her viral “Handle Hard Better” message has become a mantra for students and faculty, thanks to Principal Chris Boulanger.
New Heights was a “D” school determined to move up in the statewide rankings when Boulanger began showing students Lawson’s ode to hard work and perseverance. The school received an “A” grade in 2024, and Lawson said Boulanger’s subsequent email “resonated with me.”
“Here’s a school that figured out a recipe – that had incredible amounts of success over and over and over,” Lawson said. “That deserves to be recognized. That deserves to be applauded, and I have to come down here and learn and see what they’re doing. Because clearly, they’re connecting with their students, and clearly it’s making a difference.
“It keeps me inspired to do the same thing with my players.”
Duke, which sits among the upper echelon of college basketball, has a Thursday evening game against the University of South Florida. Lawson and her contingent made the trip across the bay and stayed well after her scheduled departure.
Students encircled the school’s courtyard to see and hear Lawson. Many waved signs and brought notes. She then fielded questions from the New Heights press club.
“Every day is not going to be easy for you,” Lawson told them. “But you are capable of handling hard, and you are capable of being tough enough to do great things.”
Lawson was the fifth overall pick in the 2003 WNBA draft. She won a championship two years later.
In the 2008 Summer Olympics, Lawson led the U.S. Women’s National team in scoring (15 points) during their gold medal-winning game against Australia. She retired from the WNBA in 2015 and became a sports broadcaster.
Lawson, 44, launched her coaching career in 2019 as an assistant with the NBA’s Boston Celtics. She picked up another gold medal in 2020 as head coach of the three-on-three women’s national team.
Duke hired Lawson, its first female head coach, to lead the Blue Devils that same year. In September, USA Basketball announced she would coach the women’s national team in the 2026 FIBA World Cup and at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“It is absolutely surreal to have Coach Lawson spend a morning here at New Heights Elementary School in St. Petersburg, Florida,” Boulanger said Thursday. “To see her take time out of her schedule on a game day to connect with my kids, who have valued and used her message for years now – for them to see her in real life, that is a gift that’s going to continue to give for years to come.”
The feeling was mutual. Lawson said she became emotional while discussing her impact on students “because I care about this stuff.” She expressed appreciation for the “genuine, authentic joy that you could see in their faces.”
Boulanger sent Lawson an email in the fall of 2024. He noted that the area was “hit with two devastating, back-to-back hurricanes,” and her message helped students and staff refocus.
Boulanger explained that all students watched “Handle Hard Better” before every state testing session. “They locked in and have now got us to what looks like will be the FIRST time New Heights will be an ‘A’ rated school,” he wrote.
“I thought it would be cool if she just wrote us a note and said, ‘Hey, good work,’” Boulanger said Thursday.
Lawson said the letter “kind of blew me away.” She repeatedly stressed the importance of human connection. “To be visibly supportive, I think, is what we should do for each other.”
Lawson reflected on how “Handle Hard Better,” a two-minute, 49-second video clip released in 2022, has transcended sports. “It was just a regular talk to my players,” she said.
“It was a summer workout with like nine players in the gym,” Lawson continued. “And now I’m in St. Petersburg at a school. That’s pretty crazy.”
Students walked up to Lawson and shared what the video meant to them and how it helped them persevere. She was also quick to credit the school for its newfound success.
Lawson also tried to put herself in their shoes. “If my principal or teachers showed me a video of someone a lot, a lot, a lot, and then that person showed up to my school, I would be so pumped,” she admitted.
“So, to be on the other end of that, to create, hopefully, a memory for them, was really satisfying,” Lawson said. “If you want to get the best out of people, then you have to be able to create a connection with them.”
This content provided in partnership with StPeteCatalyst.com
