Shannon KeoughCabrini College named Kate Pearson head womens’ basketball coach. Pearson took over on July 1 after serving as the Cavaliers assistant coach for the past five seasons.
Pearson becomes head coach after the Cavaliers have won back-to-back Colonial States Athletic Conference titles and has advanced to two straight NCAA Tournaments.
In 2008-09, Cabrini completed the season with 23 overall wins, the program’s largest win total since the 1994-95 season.
The year Pearson graduated college, Bobbi Morgan was named the head basketball coach at Cabrini College and asked Pearson if she was interested in coaching with her.
“I really like working at Cabrini College because I think the fact that it is a small Catholic college attracts good people to play and support the program,” Pearson said.
Pearson played basketball and lacrosse at the University of Scranton.
She was an All-league player in both sports and an All-American guard for basketball.
“I played the point guard position, which I see as an extension of the coach on the court. That position requires you to have good leadership and knowledge of the game,” Pearson said.
Pearson played four seasons at Scranton where she had an overall record of 95-18. She helped secure two Middle Atlantic Conference titles and went on to play in three NCAA Tournaments.
She was selected as Kodak All-American and earned MAC First Team honors three times.
She still holds the programs record in three-point field goals made (181).
Pearson also had 427 assists along with 263 assists. She remains eleventh on the all-time scoring list with 1,292 career points.
Pearson’s mother, Dianne, also coached the Cavalier womens’ soccer team for nine seasons from 1993-2001.
“My mother is a coach so I have learned a great deal from her and always have seen myself in the coaching role,” Pearson said.
Pearson graduated from Scranton in 2004 with a bachelor of arts degree in communication.
She is now going for her masters degree in secondary education English at Cabrini.
“If the girls walk away from this season with a sense of accomplishment and can say they had fun, then I will have been successful,” Pearson said.
