HobbsDailyReport.com
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – Katie Pate, who spent seven years in Lenoir-Rhyne University’s women’s basketball program, will join the coaching staff at Marshall, the school announced Friday.
A press release on Marshall’s athletic website said she will begin working as associate head coach in July on the staff of Thundering Herd head coach Tony Kemper.
PATE
Pate also has previous head-coaching experience at Coker and Belmont Abbey.
Her contract as head coach at LRU was not renewed after three seasons, LRU officials announced on March 15.
Last season, Pate guided the Bears to a 17-12 overall record and 13-9 record in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) but they failed to reach the NCAA Division II tournament for a third straight season.
The Bears were 41-43 under Pate.
Prior to becoming LRU’s head coach, she spent four seasons as the Bears’ associate head coach and recruiting coordinator.
“I am absolutely thrilled to be part of Tony Kemper’s organization and a member of the Marshall University and Conference USA family,” Pate said in the posted press release. “I cannot thank Coach Kemper, his staff, and Senior Woman Administrator Beatrice Crane Banford enough for their hospitality and insight while exploring my next professional journey.
“The opportunity to work with the exceptional young women of the Thundering Herd in a passionate, sports-minded community while embracing a world-class faculty, has me eager to roll up my sleeves and assist in further developing the standards of excellence for the women’s basketball program.”
Sandwiched between her stints at LRU, Pate worked at Georgia State in 2014. There, she managed the business operations, summer camps and academic success, which led to a team-high 3.21 GPA during the summer session.
“We are very fortunate to have a coach of Katie’s caliber,” Kemper in the press release. “She will bring a wealth of experience, including several as a head coach. I know that she is eager to get started and her energy will only make our program stronger.”
Pate graduated from Coker and the Universidad de Complutense de Madrid in 1997 with bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and Exercise Science (Coker). In 2004, she received a master’s degree in business administration from Webster University.