Now that Kate Paye has formally been introduced as the new head coach of Stanford women’s basketball, I wanted to share five thoughts on what she said during her introductory press conference.
VIDEO: Kate Paye Introductory Press Conference
#1. Paye truly bleeds Cardinal red: Kate Paye played at Stanford, she was an assistant coach under Tara from 2007 until the end of this past season and was elevated to associated head coach in 2016. While I already knew Paye was a Stanford lifer prior to the press conference, watching her talk about Stanford just hammered home how much the university means to her. She is incredibly honored to lead the program and will do all she can to maintain the level of excellence that she feels the program should live up to.
#2. This has been a long time coming: Not only has Paye paid her dues to become the new head coach at Stanford. She could have been head coach a long time ago. First of all, had Tara VanDerveer stepped away ten years ago, Paye would have likely been elevated to head coach. This has been on her radar for a very long time and it even pre-dates her being elevated to associate head coach. She’s been thinking about this for years and is more than prepared just in terms of having time to adjust and get ready.
#3. Paye loves her players: After the press conference in a separate interview, I asked Paye about the incoming freshmen Shay Ijiwoye, Kennedy Umeh, and Harper Peterson and she just lit up. You can just tell from talking to her that she loves her players and she is very grateful for all the players who have chosen to come back and play for her. When asked about Kiki Iriafen in that same interview, she led with saying “We love Kiki” before expressing that she wished Kiki wouldn’t have entered the portal. Paye is going to be a coach that pushes her players but at the same time builds a loving atmosphere for her players to thrive and grow in.
And I should add, the same applies to her approach to her coaching staff. She loves the entire Stanford program and everyone involved with it. That’s crystal clear to see.
#4. Paye is well aware of the challenges: One thing that is for doggone sure is that Paye knows the challenges of the Stanford job. She knows the transfer portal needs to open up more, she knows the academic restrictions are what they are, etc. None of this is new to her. She’s already been around it for a very long time. On top of that, she seems very well prepared to adapt to the new age of NIL and all that comes in this new world of college athletics.
#5. Paye is going to bring passion: Finally, I just want to close with the passion that Paye has for coaching. That’s something that she has just as much as VanDerveer. She tried to be a lawyer after her basketball playing days were over but she quickly realized that wasn’t for her. She knew she needed to go into coaching and didn’t look back. She has love for teaching and being the best coach that she can be. She’s going to be a ton of enthusiasm and passion to every practice and that is something that should rub off on her players as well as the rest of her staff.
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