Alexis Lawrence is in her fourth season on the NIU women's basketball coaching staff.
The Huskies have made back-to-back trips to the Mid-American Conference Tournament with Lawrence on the bench. In 2021-22 NIU was a markedly improved defensive team, allowing 69.2 points per game. It was the Huskies' lowest points per game allowed since 2015. NIU was also second in the MAC in rebounds per game (41.69) and third in rebound margin (+4.7).
Lawrence came to DeKalb in the summer of 2019 after spending two seasons as an assistant coach at Columbia College in Columbia, Mo. The Cougars compiled a 57-11 record in her two years on the bench, going 44-4 in American Midwest Conference play. Lawrence was named the 2019 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association NAIA Assistant Coach of the Year after leading Columbia to a 29-5 record and the program’s first #1 ranking.
“Alexis is one of the brightest, most energetic, passionate young coaches in the business,” said Carlsen. “She is a great fit for NIU on all fronts. I couldn’t be more excited to add her to my already great staff as we strive to reach new heights.”
In her first season at Columbia the Cougars won the regular season and AMC tournament titles. Lawrence developed and coached three NAIA All-Americans and eight overall All-Conference selections while at Columbia.
Lawrence began her coaching career as a graduate assistant at SIU Edwardsville for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. It was there that she earned her Master’s degree in Kinesiology with a concentration in Sports Psychology. Originally from Bowling Green, Ky., Lawrence played collegiately at the University of Missouri-St. Louis where she became the 14th played in program history to reach 1,00 career points. As a junior Lawrence led the Tritons to their second-ever NCAA Division II Tournament in 2014. She was named Second Team All-Great Lakes Valley Conference as a senior after averaging 14 points per game and was also named to the GLVC’s All-Defensive Team.
