Bio

K.C. Bassett has been at the helm of the Lady Warrior’s basketball program since the 2014-15 season. She was named Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Leader in 2021 and also serves on the Athletic Leadership team.

Coach Bassett is in a superb stretch of basketball success. She currently has had seven consecutive winning seasons. She has also made five consecutive appearances at the NAIA National Tournament and won three straight KCAC regular season titles. She has won two KCAC Tournament titles in the same stretch.

One of the most solid seasons of her career came in the 2020-21 season. The Lady Warriors went 30-1, going undefeated in the regular season. The only loss came in the NAIA National Tournament. The Lady Warriors finished the season ranked 9^th in the NAIA National Polls. Coach Bassett was named Lonnie Kruse KCAC Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year, KBCA 4 Year Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year, and NAIA WBCA NAIA Coach of the Year for the success of that season.

Bassett has seen a number of her student-athletes be named to the NAIA All-American team, NAIA Academic All-American team, and KCAC Player of the Year.

Prior to becoming the head women’s basketball coach, Bassett was an assistant coach for the Lady Warriors for seven years under the tutelage of NAIA, Kansas, and Sterling College Hall of Famer Lonnie Kruse. During her time as an assistant, Bassett helped Sterling attain a combined record of 146-72, winning the KCAC Regular Season Championship four times, the KCAC Women’s Basketball Tournament five times, and making it to the NAIA National Tournament five different seasons.

From 2003-2007, K.C. was a four-year starter and twice captain on Sterling College teams that finished with a combined record of 99-28 [78%] and won two conference championships and one KCAC tournament championship. Her teams made three trips to the NAIA National Tournament where they finished in the Sweet Sixteen twice and Elite Eight once. K.C. began her playing career in 2003-2004 as KCAC Freshman of the Year and honorable mention All-Conference and ended her senior campaign [2006-2007] as the KCAC’s Player of the Year and a third-team NAIA All-American. During her Sterling career, she was named to three KCAC All-Conference First Teams and earned NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors, twice.

K.C. is Sterling College women basketball’s all-time assist leader [549] and ninth all-time leading scorer [1,374]. In spring 2007, K.C. graduated summa cum laude and Sterling College’s Outstanding Student of the Year. She received the Professor Fran Jabara Leadership Award and was named the Sterling College Woman Athlete of Year.

In October 2016, Coach Bassett was inducted into the Sterling College Athletics Hall of Fame for her SC playing career.

In July 2015, Coach Bassett was named KCAC Champion of Character Coach of the Year.

In addition to coaching, K.C. teaches Sports Psychology each semester for the Exercise Science program and has co-led mission trips for SC athletes to Panama, Nicaragua, and Alaska (twice).

Before Sterling College, K.C. attended Immaculata High School in Leavenworth, KS, where she played basketball and volleyball for four years. She is the Lady Raiders’ all-time leading assist leader and third all-time leading scorer. Prior to high school, K.C. was starting point guard on a Kansas Belles AAU basketball team that finished three seasons in the elite eight at AAU national championship tournaments. During her seven-year AAU career, K.C. earned Missouri Valley age-group player of the year honors, twice.

Education:

B.A. in Education from Sterling College, 2007

M.S. in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation from Emporia State University, 2010