St. Joseph’s (Pa.) recruiting coordinator Katie Kuester will become the 10th head coach of the Army women’s basketball program, West Point director of athletics Tom Theodorakis announced Thursday.
Kuester joins the Black Knights after a decade-long run as a coach for the Hawks, starting in 2015. During that time, she worked with guards and post players and starting in 2021 when she was named recruiting coordinator,, was involved with both domestic and international recruiting efforts. In 2024, St. Joseph’s won 28 games and advanced to the quarterfinals of the inaugural Women’s National Invitational Tournament.
Kuester also played her college basketball at St. Joseph’s. which competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference. She finished her career in the program’s top 10 with 167 three-pointers and a free throw percentage of .861.
“We’re excited to welcome Katie Kuester to the West Point family,” said Theodorakis, who became Army’s newest athletic director early this year. “Katie brings exceptional leadership, a high basketball IQ, and an unmatched work ethic. Her proven ability to develop student-athletes both on and off the court is impressive. Her track record speaks volumes, and we’re eager to see where she takes Army Women’s Basketball.”
Kuester has big shoes to fill after the “mutually” agreed upon departure of coach Missy Traversi, announced early this month. Traversi led Army to a 25-8 record last season, including a trip to the Patriot League championship game where the Black Knights lost to Lehigh. The Black Knights defeated Bryant in the WNIT first round before losing to Rutgers in the second round. Army graduates just one senior – leading scorer Trinity Hardy. Traversi was 66-55 in her four seasons at Army.
“I am incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity to lead the Army West Point women’s basketball program,” said Kuester, who turns 35 in June. “West Point represents the very best in leadership, discipline, and service. I look forward to building a championship culture that reflects those values and developing strong, confident leaders both on and off the court.”
Kuester has previous Patriot League experience. Her first college job was Lehigh’s director of basketball operations in 2012-13. Kuester was an assistant coach at Loyola (Md.) for the 2014-15 season.
A press conference to introduce Kuester to the Army West Point community will be held at a future date.
