Story Links
Feb. 2, 2004
by Cathy Bongiovi Stewart
In the fall of 2002, Kate Kreager transferred from Xavier University in Ohio to the University of Virginia. A starter and star of the Musketeer squad, the 6-3 forward from Oak Hill, Va., needed a change.
“It was no longer a good fit for me,” Kreager explained. “In the spring before I transferred, I applied to a couple different schools. Virginia was actually the last one I heard from. I got in everywhere, but didn’t know where I was going, but I knew I was leaving. I got into Virginia, and (it’s an opportunity) you just can’t pass up. It’s the No. 1 academic public school in the country.”
But Kreager knew she hadn’t given basketball up forever.
“In the back of my mind, I thought maybe I’ll just take this year off that Ihave to sit out (from basketball),” she said. “Maybe I’ll go back to it. It was always in the back of my mind. I never decided that I was just done with it.”
But a few weeks on Grounds and a few pick-up games helped Kreager find the Cavaliers.
“Then a couple weeks in, I started talking to a football player who’s a friend of mine, Heath Boucek,” Kreager said of the younger brother of former Cavalier Jenny Boucek. “I got in touch with (assistant coach) Tim Taylor. He had recruited me from Furman. And I had a familiar face in the program. I played pick-up one day with (assistant coach) Daryl Oliver, and it just kind of got the ball rolling. It was a very different atmosphere. The coaching staff presents a family and was drastically different from what I came from. I felt I could play here, be successful and be happy.”
Kreager has kept that promise. The junior has started 12 games for the Cavaliers and stands second in team scoring with 9.7 points per game. The walk-on has also earned a scholarship. In last weekend’s road trip, she racked up career-highs of 19 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals in the 82-80 OT win at Florida State. Two nights later at Clemson, Kreager racked up a game-high 18 points, career-high nine rebounds, and career-high three assists in 31 minutes of action. Her immediate impact on the squad has been immense.
“Kate has given us immediate stability in the post,” head coach Debbie Ryan said. “She’s a player that finishes well. She is also a player that gives us good stability leadership-wise. She ‘s got a level head. She has a great personality; she’s well-liked on our team.”
Kreager’s personality and leadership abilities were apparent to her teammates. In the preseason, they elected her as a captain, along with sophomore Tiffany Sardin. Kreager became the first UVa player elected as a team captain before ever wearing a Cavalier uniform.
“It’s an honor and it’s something that, I say this a lot, I don’t know if I was surprised about it, but I didn’t expect it necessarily,” Kreager shared. “It’s definitely an honor and a huge responsibility, but it’s something that’s in my personality. I’m a natural-born leader. It’s something I look to do and to be. As a captain, it’s a very comfortable role. I look to take on more responsibility as the year goes on.”
The captain has taken on more responsibility off the court, too. The politics major recently took the LSAT exam.
“I’m thinking about law school,” Kreager said.
But Kreager hasn’t fulfilled her goals on the court yet.
“I would like to go to the Final Four,” Kreager revealed. “My freshman year (at Xavier) I went to the Elite Eight, and we were very, very close- within two minutes of going to the Final Four. That taste stays in your mouth for a very long time. It’s something I really want to get back to; I’d really like to be a Final Four calibre team. I feel I know what it takes, and I feel we have the pieces to the puzzle here. We just have to put them together.”
With Kreager’s leadership, anything is possible.