Upcoming Event: Women's Golf versus ANNIKA Intercollegiate on September 8, 2025
Women's Golf
vs ANNIKA Intercollegiate
.png&width=24&height=24&type=webp)
Staff Directory
Lange, Karen
Karen Lange
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
Karen Lange joined the Duke women’s basketball staff in April of 2022 and serves as an assistant coach with the Blue Devils.
In three seasons with the Blue Devils, Lange has helped Duke compile a 77-27 record, win the 2025 ACC Tournament title and make three NCAA Tournament appearances, including the program’s 18th Regional Semifinal in 2023-24 and 12th Regional Final in 2024-25.
Lange has also been instrumental in helping orchestrate Duke’s stout defense the past three years. The Blue Devils boasted the nation’s No. 4 defensive rating (72.7) and ranked 10th in opponent points per possession (0.69) in 2024-25, per HerHoopStats. Duke held 32 opponents below their respective season scoring averages and limited 15 teams to 50 points or less, including five foes to fewer than 40. Duke also held its opponents to single digits in 35 quarters and forced 44 shot clock violations during the year.
The 2023-24 campaign saw the Blue Devils hold 33 of 34 opponents below their respective season scoring averages and lead the ACC in two categories - scoring defense and blocks. Duke also checked in at No. 2 in field goal percentage defense, rebounding defense and rebounding margin. Nationally, the Blue Devils’ defense checked in at No. 4 nationally per HerHoopStats, while ranking sixth in the NCAA in rejections and in the top 30 in both field goal percentage defense and rebounding margin. In 2022-23, Duke ranked third in the NCAA in scoring defense (51.0) and 10th in field goal percentage defense (35.2). The team held each of its opponents below their season scoring average, including 17 to 50 points or less.
Under Lange’s guidance, three players in Ashlon Jackson (2025 All-ACC Second Team), Reigan Richardson (2024 All-ACC Second Team) and Celeste Taylor (2023 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, All-ACC First Team, ACC All-Defensive Team) garnered ACC accolades. She also aided in helping Jadyn Donovan (2025 ACC All-Defensive Team), Toby Fournier (2025 ACC Rookie of the Year, All-ACC First Team, ACC All-Freshman Team) and Oluchi Okananwa (2024 ACC Sixth Player of the Year, ACC All-Freshman Team) achieve their respective major conference honors as well.
Prior to joining the Duke staff, Lange spent seven seasons at the University of Georgia as associate head coach, where she helped lead the Bulldogs to 140 victories, a .651 winning percentage and 64 wins in SEC play. Lange and the Georgia squad advanced to four NCAA Tournaments, earning top-four seeds in 2018 and 2021.
Lange played a crucial role in developing Georgia’s guards during her tenure - a group that finished near the top of the SEC in assists and among the league’s best in assist-to-turnover ratio in each of her years. She helped lead the Bulldogs to a second-place ledger in the 2017-18 SEC standings and a spot in the 2021 SEC Tournament finals.
Prior to her arrival at Georgia, Lange spent four seasons at Charlotte, including two years as associate head coach (2013-15), where she helped lead the 49ers to the 2013 WNIT Round of 16. In addition, she served as an assistant coach at Virginia Tech for seven seasons from 1997-2004 and at Kansas for six seasons from 2004-10, helping guide the Hokies to the program’s first NCAA Sweet 16 in 1999, and the Jayhawks to a runner-up finish in the 2009 WNIT. Lange was head coach at MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Kansas, during the 2010-11 campaign.
Lange has enjoyed stellar success recruiting and developing perimeter players throughout her coaching tenure. She brought consensus high school All-Americans such as Dawn Chriss and Angel Goodrich to Virginia Tech and Kansas, respectively. Such talent continued to blossom under Lange’s tutelage. Her work with guards has produced three All-Americans (Lisa Witherspoon at Virginia Tech and Goodrich and Danielle McCray at Kansas), one freshman All-American (Carrie Mason at Virginia Tech), five conference end-of-season award winners, 21 all-conference honorees and three future WNBA players (Kerri Gardin at Virginia Tech and Goodrich and McCray at Kansas).
Lange was a standout point guard at Iowa from 1992-96 as the former Karen Clayton. She was a teammate of current Duke associate head coach Tia Jackson during their collegiate days with the Hawkeyes, which included a trip to the program’s first NCAA Final Four in 1993. Lange was a member of Iowa teams that reached three NCAA Tournaments, following the 1993 Final Four appearance with trips to the 1994 second round and 1996 NCAA Sweet 16. She also helped Iowa capture Big Ten Regular Season Championships in 1993 and 1996. She graduated from Iowa with honors in 1996, receiving her bachelor’s degree in exercise science.
She and her husband Cory have two children -- daughter, Ashlyn and son, Ty.
In three seasons with the Blue Devils, Lange has helped Duke compile a 77-27 record, win the 2025 ACC Tournament title and make three NCAA Tournament appearances, including the program’s 18th Regional Semifinal in 2023-24 and 12th Regional Final in 2024-25.
Lange has also been instrumental in helping orchestrate Duke’s stout defense the past three years. The Blue Devils boasted the nation’s No. 4 defensive rating (72.7) and ranked 10th in opponent points per possession (0.69) in 2024-25, per HerHoopStats. Duke held 32 opponents below their respective season scoring averages and limited 15 teams to 50 points or less, including five foes to fewer than 40. Duke also held its opponents to single digits in 35 quarters and forced 44 shot clock violations during the year.
The 2023-24 campaign saw the Blue Devils hold 33 of 34 opponents below their respective season scoring averages and lead the ACC in two categories - scoring defense and blocks. Duke also checked in at No. 2 in field goal percentage defense, rebounding defense and rebounding margin. Nationally, the Blue Devils’ defense checked in at No. 4 nationally per HerHoopStats, while ranking sixth in the NCAA in rejections and in the top 30 in both field goal percentage defense and rebounding margin. In 2022-23, Duke ranked third in the NCAA in scoring defense (51.0) and 10th in field goal percentage defense (35.2). The team held each of its opponents below their season scoring average, including 17 to 50 points or less.
Under Lange’s guidance, three players in Ashlon Jackson (2025 All-ACC Second Team), Reigan Richardson (2024 All-ACC Second Team) and Celeste Taylor (2023 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, All-ACC First Team, ACC All-Defensive Team) garnered ACC accolades. She also aided in helping Jadyn Donovan (2025 ACC All-Defensive Team), Toby Fournier (2025 ACC Rookie of the Year, All-ACC First Team, ACC All-Freshman Team) and Oluchi Okananwa (2024 ACC Sixth Player of the Year, ACC All-Freshman Team) achieve their respective major conference honors as well.
Prior to joining the Duke staff, Lange spent seven seasons at the University of Georgia as associate head coach, where she helped lead the Bulldogs to 140 victories, a .651 winning percentage and 64 wins in SEC play. Lange and the Georgia squad advanced to four NCAA Tournaments, earning top-four seeds in 2018 and 2021.
Lange played a crucial role in developing Georgia’s guards during her tenure - a group that finished near the top of the SEC in assists and among the league’s best in assist-to-turnover ratio in each of her years. She helped lead the Bulldogs to a second-place ledger in the 2017-18 SEC standings and a spot in the 2021 SEC Tournament finals.
Prior to her arrival at Georgia, Lange spent four seasons at Charlotte, including two years as associate head coach (2013-15), where she helped lead the 49ers to the 2013 WNIT Round of 16. In addition, she served as an assistant coach at Virginia Tech for seven seasons from 1997-2004 and at Kansas for six seasons from 2004-10, helping guide the Hokies to the program’s first NCAA Sweet 16 in 1999, and the Jayhawks to a runner-up finish in the 2009 WNIT. Lange was head coach at MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Kansas, during the 2010-11 campaign.
Lange has enjoyed stellar success recruiting and developing perimeter players throughout her coaching tenure. She brought consensus high school All-Americans such as Dawn Chriss and Angel Goodrich to Virginia Tech and Kansas, respectively. Such talent continued to blossom under Lange’s tutelage. Her work with guards has produced three All-Americans (Lisa Witherspoon at Virginia Tech and Goodrich and Danielle McCray at Kansas), one freshman All-American (Carrie Mason at Virginia Tech), five conference end-of-season award winners, 21 all-conference honorees and three future WNBA players (Kerri Gardin at Virginia Tech and Goodrich and McCray at Kansas).
Lange was a standout point guard at Iowa from 1992-96 as the former Karen Clayton. She was a teammate of current Duke associate head coach Tia Jackson during their collegiate days with the Hawkeyes, which included a trip to the program’s first NCAA Final Four in 1993. Lange was a member of Iowa teams that reached three NCAA Tournaments, following the 1993 Final Four appearance with trips to the 1994 second round and 1996 NCAA Sweet 16. She also helped Iowa capture Big Ten Regular Season Championships in 1993 and 1996. She graduated from Iowa with honors in 1996, receiving her bachelor’s degree in exercise science.
She and her husband Cory have two children -- daughter, Ashlyn and son, Ty.
Coach Diaz Media Availability: Tulane
Wednesday, September 10
Darian Mensah Media Availability: Tulane
Tuesday, September 09
Josiah Green Media Availability: Tulane
Tuesday, September 09
Coach Patke Press Conference: Tulane
Monday, September 08
