Army Black Knights Hire Katie Kuester as Women’s Basketball Coach

The Army West Point Black Knights announced the hiring of Katie Kuester as their women’s basketball coach on Thursday.

Kuester will be one of the youngest head coaches in women’s Division I basketball. The 34-year-old was with Saint Joseph’s before she was hired to lead the Black Knights.

She replaces Missy Traversi, who parted ways with the program after four seasons.

"We're excited to welcome Katie Kuester to the West Point family," said Army athletic director Ted Theodorakis in a release announcing the hiring. "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."

In the 2023-24 season she was part of a staff that helped the team win 28 games and reach the quarterfinals of the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament.

Kuester has been on the Saint Joseph’s staff for a decade. At one time she was the program’s director of basketball operations. She later graduated to assistant coach, where she first worked with the program’s guards and then moved to coaching post players. She was also vital to the program’s international recruiting efforts.

Since 2021 she served as the program’s recruiting coordinator.

She also spent time as a staff member at Loyola (MD), North Carolina and Lehigh.

“I am incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity to lead the Army West Point women’s basketball program,” Kuester said in the release. “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.”

As a guard at Saint Joseph's, Kuester finished her career in the program's top 10 for three-pointers (167) and free throw percentage (.861). She also has coaching in the bloodlines. Her father, John, spent 20 years as an NBA coach with spent 20 years with the Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, and Los Angeles Lakers.

She inherits a program that is coming off the best season of Traversi’s tenure.

Army went 25-8 with a 14-4 record in Patriot League action. Army was eliminated from NCAA Tournament contention after losing to Lehigh in the Patriot League tournament championship game. But the Black Knights were invited to the WNIT. There, Army beat Bryant in the first round and then fell to Rutgers in the second round.

Traversi’s tenure ended with a four-year mark of 66-55.