GREEN BAY (NBC26) — UW-Green Bay first year head coach Kayla Karius said since getting hired six months ago, she’s hit the ground running.
"I think it's just a really cool opportunity to walk in and not have to rebuild the whole system, and then to prepare and develop all these young players," Head Coach Kayla Karius said. "It's a really cool thing to be able to explain something, and you get a lot of head nods because they already know what you're talking about."
Karius said she did not want to come into UW-Green Bay and blow everything up, especially with a lot of veteran players who are used to a certain system. But she sees where there are opportunities to grow.
"I think that's just it's been a meet-in-the-middle sort of situation," Karius said. "I've come in and said, 'I want to see what you guys have already done, and let's see if it works.' And then same thing with them. They've got to come and meet me and be open-minded to making some changes, too. And I think so far, it's worked out really well."
While Karius is looking to put her own stamp on the program, she appreciates the support from former Head Coach Kevin Borseth, who retired in the Spring after nearly four decades of coaching.
"It's been a real blessing to have Coach Borseth still around the program," Karius said. "He has been even better than I could have imagined at smoothing over the transition, and keeping a lot of things similar for our players. And yet, allowing me the space to continue to develop my identity as a head coach."
Karius said it is special to be a part of a program that has high expectations. She said her team has an edge to them because of how last season ended. The Phoenix lost to Tennessee by 29 points in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
"It just doesn't sit well, so it's that's actually a good thing," Karius said. "It's a lot of motivation on their parts to come back and to achieve more. They're really hungry and I think that's a really important piece about them."
UW-Green Bay opens their season on the road against a No. 13 ranked Kansas State team.
"You want to give your players that experience so that what we're building for at the end of the year is not a shock to them," Karius said. "When we get to the postseason and teams that are playing in those bigger leagues, the physicality and the size won't be a brand new thing for us."
