FORT MYERS — It’s not a stretch by any means to call Kate Bruce the cornerstone to the crazy success of Florida Gulf Coast University’s women’s basketball program.
A 5-foot-11 forward, Bruce played two FGCU seasons, earning All-American accolades while toting FGCU to the No. 1 ranking, undefeated regular season and Division II national championship game in the Eagles’ last season of that before jumping up to Division I.
In just those two seasons after her Yavapai Community College run, Bruce scored 1,062 points, eighth-best all-time for the program. At 16.3, her scoring average is still tops in FGCU history. She’s second in field-goal percentage at 59.3 and eighth in rebounds with 409.
FGCU was 63-3 with her on the floor.
On Tuesday, Bruce notched her first head-coaching gig. She’ll take over at Walsh University, a D-II program in Canton, Ohio.
That’s where FGCU program-founding coach Karl Smesko got his first-ever head-coaching job and he took the Cavaliers to the NAIA Division II national championship in his lone season of 1997-98 there.
“I’m really excited for her,” Smesko said. “This is a great opportunity for her. That’s where I got my college coaching start as a head coach and it’s great to see her get the same opportunity.”
Her name still doesn’t ring a bell?
That’s because you know her as Kate Schrader. Actually, at FGCU, it was Katie. And she came to FGCU with fellow Fort Collins, Colorado, native Chelsea Dermyer (who recently become Chelsea Banbury), Smesko’s right-hand woman on the Eagles bench.
She’s all grown up now. She married husband Jessie in May of 2014 and the couple had a daughter, Brenna Lynn, earlier this year.
After FGCU, Schrader, um, Bruce, played a bit in Holland, then joined former Smesko assistant Bob Boldon, a Walsh alum, at Youngstown State for three seasons. She then joined Boldon for the step up at Ohio University, which won the Mid-American Conference regular-season and tournament championships and set a school record with 27 wins last season.
“Her connections to the Walsh University ‘coaching tree’ will serve her well as she acclimates to the campus and our excellent student athletes,” said Walsh athletic director Dale Howard, who called Smesko for a glowing reference. “I have every confidence that Kate will be a great mentor and teacher for the ladies on the team. Her obvious passion for the sport of basketball, as well as her keen understanding of the important role that athletics can play in the development of young people, makes her the perfect fit at this time.”
Best wishes, Kate. Er, Katie.
Dana Caldwell is the Daily News beat writer for Florida Gulf Coast University athletics and can be followed on Twitter at@NDN_DCaldwell