OKLAHOMA CITY – Former NAIA Assistant Coach of the Year Alexis Lawrence takes the reins of the Oklahoma City University women's basketball team today (June 16) as head coach.
 
"Alexis brings new energy to the basketball program," said OCU Interim Athletic Director Bill Raynor. "I think Stars fans will be captured by her enthusiasm and passion. I think she will restore our success on and off the court."
 
Lawrence was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where she helped coordinate recruiting efforts for the staff, served as the camp director, assisted in film and scouting preparations and helped develop and implement guard workouts. She was with UMKC for two seasons.
 
OCU has won nine NAIA National Championships in women's basketball, the last coming in 2017.
 
"I'm incredibly excited and honored to be named the head women's basketball coach at Oklahoma City University," said Lawrence. "OCU has a proud tradition of excellence, and I'm eager to get to work building on that legacy with a program rooted in discipline, character, and competitiveness. I want to sincerely thank our interim athletic director, Bill Raynor, for this opportunity and for believing in my vision. Most of all, I thank God for ordering my steps and guiding me to this moment. I look forward to leading this program with passion, purpose, and a deep commitment to developing high-character student-athletes both on and off the court. I can't wait to bring championship-level energy to the court and community."
 
From 2019-23, Lawrence served 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. She also was responsible for analyzing in-game statistics and providing adjustments.
 
While at NIU, Lawrence took on the responsibility of academic liaison and community service/social justice coordinator. Her teams continually increased GPA over each season, earning WBCA Top-25 Academic Honors all four years and Top-10 honors from 2020-23. She also led programming in the form of social justice walks, discussion forums and 19 weeks of social justice initiatives that 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 in the 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 in the 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, while 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 degree 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 in the 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 of 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.