WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Let's Ride! The Katie Gearlds Era has officially begun.
The ninth head coach in the history of Purdue Women's Basketball, Gearlds has taken over the reins of her alma mater to lead the next chapter in Boilermaker history.
She will officially be introduced at a press conference next Monday at 2 p.m., which will stream on the Purdue Athletics Facebook page.
"I'm excited to have this opportunity to lead Purdue, my alma mater and my home," Gearlds said. "I said it back in April. I am thoroughly looking forward to help put Purdue back on the national scene. I am committed to raising the standard of our program and building on the foundation laid by all the great student-athletes and coaches who have come before me. We are going to work hard. We are going to have fun. Most importantly, we are going to make Purdue proud."
With an impressive basketball resume deeply rooted across Indiana, Gearlds has won state, Big Ten Conference and national championships as a player and coach. Her playing time at Purdue continues to rank as one of the best all-around careers ever by a Boilermaker.
As Purdue's highest pick in program history, going seventh overall in the 2007 WNBA Draft to the Seattle Storm and playing alongside Sue Bird and Swin Cash, Gearlds played professionally all over the world for six seasons, before joining the coaching ranks at Marian in 2013.
Gearlds spent the last six months on staff as an associate head coach. She returned to West Lafayette in March 2021 as a part of a succession plan that would see her elevated to head coach ahead of the 2022-23 season.
Those plans were put in motion early when head coach Sharon Versyp announced her retirement after leading her alma mater for 15 seasons. Versyp retired as the winningest coach in program history with 301 victories and nine NCAA Tournament appearances.
"I would not be in the position I am today without Coach Versyp," Gearlds added. "She has shown the utmost dedication to our program for almost 40 years. The plan was for her to prepare me to take over in a year. She got the job done in half that time. For that, and the countless times I turned to her for guidance, I will forever be grateful for her impact on my life and on our program."
The 2021-22 campaign will mark the ninth for Gearlds in a head coach's chair. Prior to her return to Mackey Arena, Gearlds put together an incredible run over eight seasons at Marian University in Indianapolis.
Gearlds posted a 228-50 record, an 82-percent winning clip, and guided the Knights to back-to-back NAIA National Championships in 2016 and 2017. She was a three-time NAIA National Coach of the Year.
The Knights claimed six Crossroads League regular-season titles, four league tournament championships and seven NAIA Tournament appearances. Twelve Knights garnered All-America honors, including 2021 WBCA NAIA National Player of the Year Imani Guy. Marian averaged more than 70 points per game in all eight seasons, with four over 75, and held opponents to 60 points or fewer across six campaigns.
Ahead of her foray into coaching, she had a six-year professional career that spanned across the WNBA, Spain, Greece, Portugal and Slovakia.
Gearlds' WNBA career started in 2007 as the seventh overall draft pick. Her two biggest mentors during her playing days that have carried over into her coaching career are the legend Sue Bird and New Orleans Pelicans Vice President of Basketball Operations Swin Cash, among others.
A standout Boilermaker, Gearlds was a three-year starter from 2004-07, appearing in 133 games with 100 starts. She still ranks fourth in program history with 1,974 points. The Boilermakers never missed an NCAA Tournament with Gearlds on the roster and advanced to the Elite Eight in 2007.
A prolific scorer, Gearlds holds the single-game record for points with 41 against Wisconsin on Feb. 18, 2007, and the single-season scoring record with 707 points as a senior.
Gearlds' honors haul is still impressive to this day – 2007 Third Team Associated Press All-America, honorable mention All-America by the WBCA, four All-Big Ten nods, three All-Big Ten Tournament selections and the 2004 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, just to name a few.
One of just 10 Boilermakers to ever earn Indiana Miss Basketball, Gearlds career at Beech Grove High School remains historic. She totaled 2,521 points, averaging 30.1 points per game as a senior, and guided the Hornets to the 2003 Indiana Class 3A State Championship.
As a senior, she was tabbed Nike/WBCA All-America, First Team All-Indiana, the Gatorade Player of the Year. She capped off her title haul in high school with MVP honors of the McDonald's All-America Game in 2003, alongside a young LeBron James.
The first season of the Katie Gearlds era opens Nov. 10 on the road at Western Kentucky, before the home debut against Western Michigan on Nov. 14 at Mackey Arena.
Season tickets are still available for purchase. For more information on how you can be a part of the inaugural campaign of head coach Katie Gearlds, click here.