Alexis Lawrence - Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator - Women's Basketball Coaches

Alexis Lawrence

Title:
Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
Email:
asl998@umkc.edu

Alexis Lawrence enters her second year with Kansas City Women's Basketball as an Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator heading into the 2024-25 season. The 2019 Women's Basketball Coaches Association NAIA Assistant Coach of the Year and a member of UMSL's 2020 All-Decade Team, Lawrence found success on the court as a player and has continued that success during her time on the sidelines.

The 2024-25 season saw Kansas City post six conference victories and earn the sixth seed in the Summit League Championship, both of which were the best of the Jackson-Durrett era. Kansas City opened the championships with an upset victory over third-seeded North Dakota State, the Roos' third postseason win as a lower seeded team under Jackson-Durrett. Alayna Contreras was named to the All-Summit League Second Team and Ana Oliveira Dias was named to the All-Newcomer squad.

In 2023-24, the Roos posted a 12-20 record, including a five-game winning streak throughout the month of December. Kansas City won three games in Summit League play, taking the #8 seed into postseason play. Emani Bennett was named to the Summit League All-Freshman Team, while Alayna Contreras and Dominique Phillips earned All-Newcomer Team honors.

"I am so grateful and honored to have the privilege to work for Coach Jackson and help to positively impact the lives of these young women while elevating this basketball program," Lawrence said. "I understand the vision Coach Jackson has and where she wants to take this program, and I am thrilled to be on staff to contribute. She has had so much success in her career and is a proven winner, so I can't wait to get to work."

In her current role, Lawrence helps coordinate recruiting efforts for the staff, serve as the camp director, assist in film and scouting preparations and helps develop and implement guard workouts.

"We have taken many steps this spring and summer to upgrade our program, and getting Alexis as an assistant coach brings us closer to our goals," Head Coach Dionnah Jackson-Durrett said. "She embodies everything that our program stands for and she will be a great role model to our players. Her professionalism, competitiveness, and the type of person that she is makes her a fit and elevates Kansas City Women's basketball. She's made a name for herself and her reputation of hard work, drive and doing things the right way is exactly why she's here. I'm excited for what she will bring to the table."

From 2019-23, Lawrence was on the sidelines at Northern Illinois University as an assistant coach. In 2022-23, the Huskies were selected to participate in the Women's Basketball Invitational at the end of the season, the team's first postseason bid since 2017.

The 2021-22 NIU team allowed just 69.2 points per game, the fewest points allowed by the program since 2015. As co-Defensive coordinator, Lawrence was responsible for implementing defensive drills and strategies, as well as analyzing in-game statistics and providing adjustments.

While at NIU, Lawrence took on responsibility as the academic liaison and community service/social justice coordinator. Her teams continually increased GPA over each seas, earning WBCA Top-25 Academic Honors all four years and Top-10 honors from 2020-23. She also led programing in the form of social justice walks, discussion forums and 19 weeks of social justice initiatives the resulted in 100% of the team becoming registered as voters.

Prior to her time in DeKalb County, Lawrence was an assistant coach at Columbia (Mo.) College from 2017-19. In her two seasons in Columbia, the team posted a 57-11 overall record and a 44-4 record in conference play. In 2018-19, for the first time in program history, the Cougars earned a No. 1 seed in the NAIA Division I National Championships, ranking top-10 nationally in three-point percentage, field goal percentage, defensive rebounding and scoring defense. Following the season, Lawrence was named NAIA Assistant Coach of the Year by the WBCA.

The 2017-18 Cougars won the American Midwest Conference regular season and tournament titles, the program's first outright regular season title since 2010-11. The team was consistently among the top of the NAIA Top-25, tallying a 22-game win streak and ranking top-10 nationally in scoring margin, three-three-point defense, turnover margin, steals and threes per game.

During her time with the Cougars, she developed and coached three NAIA All-Americans, eight All-Conference selections, four First Team All-Conference selections and two All-Defensive Team selections. She also organized and managed community service, camping, and team study halls.

From 2015-17, Lawrence was a Graduate Assistant at SIUE, also earning a Master's degree in Kinesiology with a concentration in Sports Psychology. In 2015-16, the team finished with 18-plus wins for the second-straight year, the program's first back-to-back seasons reaching that mark since joining Division One. Lawrence assisted in creating scouting reports, organized team travel and was the primary contact for the team's Fast Break Booster Club.

Lawrence attended the University of Missouri-St. Louis from 2011-15, earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. She was a team captain in 2014-15, earning Second Team All-Conference and All-Defensive team honors. In 2013-14, she was named team MVP, helping lead the team to its second-ever NCAA DII Tournament appearance. She finished her career ranked top-10 in program history in points scored as a senior and career assists, ranking second in single-season three-pointers and career field goals. In 2020, she was named to the program's All-Decade team.

A Bowling Green, Ky. native, Lawrence graduated from Bowling Green HS in 2011. She was a four-year letter winner on the basketball team, earning three All-District and All-Region honors. She set school records for three-pointers in a game and in a season, helping the team to district and regional championships as a senior. She was also a four-year letter winner on the soccer team, earning All-State and All-Region Honors.

Lawrence was a 2020 recipient for the 2020 Missouri Sports Hall of Fame Achievement Award and participated in the "So You Want to Be a Coach" conference at the 2016 NCAA Women's Final Four.