Lawson has made herself invaluable

No one could convince Kara Lawson she wasn't long enough or lean enough to be a professional basketball player.

She found a way to make it work. Lawson has laughed along with the jokes about her height, knowing her skills on the perimeter made her 5-foot-9 frame obsolete. She's reshaped her body, dropping 12 pounds this season hoping for increased speed and athleticism.

And when it comes to her role on the Monarchs, Lawson continues to dig into the foundation of the franchise with each charismatic smile and buzzer-beating shot.
"I'm short. I'm slower than 95 percent of the people in this league," Lawson said. "I know this. What you have to do is find something that makes you competitive."

The innate message in that statement is what makes Lawson a fan favorite and role model to kids who will run around the arena in purple jerseys with her name across their backs today during Game 2 of the Western Conference playoffs at Arco Arena against the Houston Comets.

"I always tell myself before every game to play as hard as I can and if my shot goes in, then good," Lawson said. "If it doesn't, I know I tried my best."

Those shots have increasingly found their way through the net. Lawson has scored double digits the last six games, including a career playoff-high 18 points in the 93-78 victory in Houston on Thursday.

A Sacramento victory today will clinch the three-game series and advance the Monarchs to the second round."We have to win," Lawson said following a short practice Friday.

A Monarchs loss will force a third and deciding game Monday at 7 p.m. at Arco.

With Lawson's performance Thursday, the Comets will likely spend more time guarding her.

"Kara loves big shots," Monarchs coach John Whisenant said. "She plays better under the gun."

The secret to Lawson's success has little to do with basketball. She is what coaches call a student of the game, with an emphasis on student.

Lawson memorized the U.S. Presidents when she was 3 years old, could name NFL quarterbacks and their statistics at 4, then entered kindergarten reading at the fourth-grade level.

By the time college rolled around, Tennessee's legendary coach Pat Summitt saw in Lawson a player with the ability to make quick, smart decisions on the floor.

"If I'm ever on 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,' Kara will be my lifeline," Summitt told Sports Illustrated in 2000.

Lawson has the ability to remember nearly everything she reads or hears, which comes in handy in her offseason gig as a member of the Kings' broadcast team and ESPN studio analyst for the NCAA women's basketball championships.

"She's smart, competitive and analytical, and just loves the game," Whisenant said.

Whisenant often cites Lawson's unselfish attitude as a reason she fits so well into his system. Lawson has started seven games this year and is expected to start today against Houston. Even coming off the bench, Lawson often averages the same minutes as a starter.

Lawson is averaging 8.1 points a game in 22 minutes this season. Her scoring and productivity has dramatically increased since Lawson overcame an early-season setback with an undiagnosed illness that left her fatigued. Lawson missed training camp but slowly began working out after practices and eating healthier in an attempt to regain her strength.

It's paying off. The slimmer Lawson is hitting her stride when the Monarchs need her most.

"She's done a great job for them," Comets coach Van Chancellor said. "She's got a basketball savvy about her. Most of it is a kind of belief in herself. She truly believes she is a good shooter. She thinks every shot is a big shot, from first to last."