Practice pays off for Kuester

For the past three years Katie Kuester has been a constant staple on the Saint Joseph's basketball team. She has constantly contributed both on and off the court. Throughout her career at Saint Joe's she has won awards ranging from the Big 5 Sportsmanship award to the MVP of last year's Hawk Classic. But when I asked Katie what she was most proud of throughout her career she confidently responded, "Being a two year captain."  And a captain she is. She consistently leads her team, whether it's on the hardwood or in the classroom. Last year she was on both the A-10 commissioners' honor roll and Saint Joseph's University Athletic Director's honor roll. On the court she led the team in three point field goals and she is Saint Joseph's all-time leader from the free throw stripe (.864).

            This season the Hawks are looking to make it to the coveted NCAA tournament in March, and Katie is prepared to lead her team there: "Our ultimate goal as a team is to make it to the NCAA tournament. We have made it to the postseason in the past few years and I think our team is talented enough to make it to the big dance." The team is returning 11 of its 13 letter winners from last year as well as all five starters, but they do face a lot of tough opponents this year. They are scheduled to face 13 teams that reached the postseason last year, including Maryland, Richmond and cross-town rival Temple. Kuester is not the type of person to shy away from the competition; "We love the challenge. Our team feels like we have made big improvements." Last year in the game against Maryland, she scored a career high 23 points and added 4 assists to prove that the competition only helps her game.

            Kuester grew up in a basketball family; her dad was the former head coach of the Detroit Pistons and is currently an assistant coach with the Lakers. Kuester said her father never puts pressure on her, but instead he "just supports me and encourages me to pursue my love for basketball."

Kuester knows that practice makes perfect. To describe how she perfects her three-point shot she used one word: repetition. "There can never be a day when I don't have a ball in my hands," she said.  She shoots between 500 and 1000 shots a day. 

            There is a lot of excitement going into this season for the women's basketball team and when I asked Katie what game she was most looking forward to this season, she responded Princeton; "After last year's double overtime thriller, we're all really excited to play Princeton again." The Princeton opener will be the Hawks' first challenge in what is bound to be an interesting season, and with Katie leading the way it seems like they are in good hands. The Hawks begin the season on Friday, Nov. 11, at Princeton.