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Former Olympic Gold Medalist Katy Steding is entering her second season as a member of the women's basketball coaching staff at the University of San Francisco. Steding joins her former collegiate and national team teammate, Jennifer Azzi, on the Hilltop.
"I had the opportunity to be 'in the trenches' with Katy on the NCAA Championship team at Stanford, and later on the Olympic Team," Azzi added. "Her work ethic and drive were unmatched as a player and she has the same traits as a coach. She has extensive knowledge of the X's and O's, and has an impressive track record in recruiting."
Steding, an Olympic gold medalist and a NCAA National Champion at Stanford University, joins the Dons from Columbia University. Prior to coaching the Lions, Steding spent a season as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Dream of the WBNA.
"I am so thrilled to be working at USF with Coach Azzi," said Steding. "As teammates for many years, I learned quickly that Jennifer can do whatever she challenges herself to do and I'm very excited to be helping her build her program. I know that her ability to relate to and motivate the student-athletes will make her an excellent coach and recruiter."
After a year of coaching in the WNBA, Steding returned to the collegiate scene last season, leading Columbia to its best finish in Ivy League and school history. She also played an integral role in landing three of the most highly lauded recruits in program history. Steding's responsibilities included overseeing student-athlete development, scouting opponents and recruiting in the Western US.
In 2008-09, Steding served as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Dream, helping the expansion franchise reach the WNBA playoffs in its inaugural season.
Prior to joining the Dream, Steding spent seven years in her native Oregon as the head women's basketball coach at Warner Pacific College. During her stint in Portland, Steding recorded two 20-plus win seasons, leading the Knights to the NAIA Division II National Tournaments in 2004 and 2006. The 2004 selection to the national tournament was the first postseason appearance in school history for men's or women's basketball. In 2005-06, the Knights won their first ever Cascade Collegiate Conference title with a 22-9 record, as Steding was named CCC Coach of the Year. On the recruiting trail, Steding recruited 11 all-conference performers and four Academic All-Americans to Warner Pacific.
"Katy brings tremendous experience to USF," added Azzi. "Having built the program at Warner Pacific, she understands what it will take for us to succeed at USF."
Prior to entering the coaching ranks, Steding assembled an impressive collegiate and professional career. A three-year Pacific-10 Conference selection at Stanford, Steding was one of the most versatile players in Cardinal history. She capped her career ninth in scoring with 1,586 points and fourth in rebounds with 864 boards.A remarkable shooter, Steding paced the conference in three-point shooting as a senior with a .464 clip. Steding teamed with current USF head coach Jennifer Azzi to lead Stanford to its first ever national championship in 1990.
Steding went on to play professionally overseas in Japan and Spain before returning stateside, earning a spot on the US Senior National Team in 1995-96. Dubbed the "Women's Dream Team", Steding joined Azzi and a myriad of other women's basketball standouts to compile a 60-0 record. The squad capped their undefeated run with a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
From there, Steding moved on to play for the Portland Power of the American Basketball League and the Sacramento Monarchs and Seattle Storm of the WNBA. Steding retired from professional basketball in 2001.
A native of Tualatin, Oregon, Steding graduated from Stanford in 1990 with a degree in Psychology and was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
