Right out of the gate, new Army women’s basketball coach Katie Kuester is setting the bar high for the upcoming season.
In her introduction to the West Point community and media Tuesday, Kuester, who was named Army’s 10th women’s basketball head coach in late May, made it clear that she expects her team to compete for a championship and to be playing basketball well into next March.
On paper, Kuester has a lot to work with. The Black Knights return four starters (Fiona Hastick, Reese Ericson, Camryn Tade and Kya Smith) who helped Army to a 25-8 record last season and a spot in the Patriot League championship game before losing to Lehigh. Army was also invited to the team’s first-ever appearance in the WNIT, defeating Bryant in the first round before losing to Rutgers in a second-round game.
Still, Kuester, who is replacing Missy Traversi, who left the program in early May, does have one big hole to fill, with team captain, leading scorer (13.4 points per game) and inspirational leader Trinity Hardy graduating in May.
“The roster that we are about to take over is built for a championship,” Kuester said. “We are so honored to be here as a coaching staff. We are excited to hit the ground running. We are preparing for March and it’s go time.
“About 85 percent of our offense is back, which is really exciting. We also have some cadet athletes who got a lot of experience last year, not necessarily in a starting role, but their roles will really evolve just like all roles do in life, for that matter. We are really excited about who we have back and the plebes coming in. It should be a great year. We are going to talk about winning championships. The more you talk about it, the more you are going to be about it. That is our expectation and we are going to do everything it takes to get there.”
It is also clear that Kuester is counting on her four-person coaching staff, all of whom were at the event, to get the job done. In particular, Kuester will lean on associate head coach/director of recruiting Maggie Gallagher, who was previously director of basketball operations at Lehigh. “We go way back, and she is a relentless recruiter and an unbelievable coach,” Kuester noted. “Maggie is going to run the defense and I am going to run the offense, so we are really exciting about sharing those roles here. She just won a championship at Lehigh, unfortunately beating Army in that championship game. She comes with a great pedigree.”
Kuester joins Army after a decade-long run as a coach for St. Joseph’s (Pa.). During that time she worked with guards and post players and, starting in 2021 when she was named recruiting coordinator and was involved with both domestic and international recruiting efforts. Kuester also played for St. Joseph’s and finished her career in the program’s top 10 with 167 three-pointers and a free throw percentage of .861.
“I dreamt of this moment since I was five years old,” she said. “I grew up watching my dad (John Kuester) who was a head coach in the NBA (with the Detroit Pistons from 2009-2011). I watched him fall in love of the process of being a head coach and how intentional he was every single day just trying to get 1% percent better. That is why I know I am built for this moment. There is not a better place in this nation that I can be than here for this opportunity. I am so grateful and excited.”
