Winter 2006 - Sacred Heart Schools

graduates,” said Kate, “Iʼd always
dreamed of playing college basketball
for Stanford.” No one thought
much of her when she joined the basketball
team her freshman year, but
pretty soon, everyone noticed her.
Two-thirds of the way through her
freshman year, she had made a big
enough team contribution to garner a
scholarship for the remainder of her
Stanford years.
THEN AND NOW: Kate as an
eighth-grader at SJSH in 1987
and as Assistant Coach for
the San Diego State Aztecs
“I am very proud to have ever
made it to that level,” said Kate,
“I believed I was a good athlete,
but never imagined I would make
it to the pro level—learning the
strategies, skills and concepts of
the game at the elite level was amazing
for me!”
First Kate played for the now-defunct
American Basketball League,
and then joined the WNBA, first with
the Minnesota Lynx for two years
and then with the Seattle Storm for
one year. The WNBA played in the
summer months, so during training
time the rest of the year, Kate went
to Stanford and pursued a Law de-
“Sports were an important part of the girls’ lives
at St. Joe’s and our competitions were just as
serious as the boys’.”
Kate went on to become one of
Stanfordʼs best defensive players.
Her team won the Pac-10 Championship
three out of her four years.
Kate went on to win two Pac-10 All-
Academic awards and the Stanford
coaches award, in addition to serving
as team captain for two seasons and
being named Stanfordʼs “Best Defensive
Player” in 1994.
“I learned incredible lessons
at Stanford from Coach Tara
VanDerveer,” said Kate, “She always
said the greatest determiners of our
success were the two things we could
each control: our attitude and our effort.
I was certainly not the most
physically gifted player on the team,
but I put myself in the position to get
the most out of what I did have.”
Amazingly, during her years at
Stanford Kate never worried about
playing time or whether she would
be a starter. “I just took the gifts I
did have and worked hard, never letting
an opportunity pass by.”
After graduating, Kate played basketball
professionally for six years.
gree and Business degree at the same
time. Her teammates could not believe
it. But as Kate put it, “I was
accustomed to being a student athlete—I
knew how to be extremely
disciplined and use my time wisely.”
After six years of professional ball,
Kate started practicing corporate law
in Palo Alto— but not for long. Pepperdine
University recruited her to
coach their womenʼs basketball
team for one season, and after
that Kate moved on to her current
position, as the Assistant coach
of the womenʼs basketball team
of the San Diego State Aztecs.
“I love being on the court everyday
and teaching the young
players,” said Kate, “My job
includes working with the point
guards and perimeter players,
designing the overall team offense,
and overseeing all recruiting
efforts.” Kate is on the road
most of the time, either traveling
with the team or recruiting new
players from around the world.
“When I coach, I try to pass on the
special experience I had of being on a
team,” said Kate, “I want each player
to experience something greater than
herself. When players truly contribute
to their team, they get back immeasurable
rewards.”
Looking back, Kate remembers
that sports were a valued part of
the education at St Joeʼs. “I am so
thankful for the great coaching I received
from Mrs. Lochtefeld and Sue
McDonald during those formative
years,” said Kate, “Sports were an
important part of the girlsʼ lives at St.
Joeʼs and our competitions were just
as serious as the boysʼ. At the time,
I thought this type of equity was normal
everywhere!”
“At St Josephʼs I was constantly
being challenged,” said Kate, “It
was a great preparation for everything
that was to follow in my life.”
When she came to SJSH to speak to
the students a couple years ago, Kate
emphasized the importance of seeking
out and conquering challenges
in life. “Even when everyone else
thinks you canʼt succeed, you need
to believe in yourself,” said Kate,
“Amazing things can happen if you
work hard enough.”
Kate is excited that St. Josephʼs is
celebrating 100 years of education,
and she hopes to visit for the celebrations
on May 20th if her busy schedule
allows.
COACH Paye gives an Aztec
player some tips on the court
The Heart of the Matter 11