When the former women's basketball star for Xavier University Kate Kreager transferred to Virginia, it was not to play for the Cavaliers.
Kreager's high school basketball career set her up to be a successful college player. Over her time at Chantilly High School in Chantilly, Va., she scored more than 1,000 points and was named a USA Today Honorable Mention All-American. She was named First Team All-Met and the Player of the Year in her school's district and region. Not only was she named MVP of her team three times, she became the first Chantilly girl's basketball player to have her jersey retired upon graduation.
Kreager chose to attend Xavier University on a basketball scholarship. As a freshman, she was the only Xavier reserve to play in all of the Musketeers' games and led her team in minutes played off the bench. On Dec. 24, 2000, she was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week.
As a sophomore, she averaged 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in 28 starts. She was named to the Xavier Invitational All-tournament team and finished ninth in the nation in field goal percentage.
Kreager transferred to Virginia for academic reasons in August of 2002, after her sophomore year at Xavier. She had not contacted coach Debbie Ryan before arriving at Virginia, but came to talk to her before open tryouts for the 2002-2003 season. She walked on to the team, understanding the NCAA rule that would require her to sit out that season while taking classes. Kreager did not initially ask for scholarship money, saying that she wanted to prove herself first. She did just that, earning money halfway through the season based on her performance in practice.
Although Kreager's transfer to Virginia was unknown to Ryan, it turned out to be a pleasant surprise for both her and her Cavaliers.
"To have someone like that land on your team is awesome," Ryan said. "If I were to paint a basketball player, I would paint a player like Kate Kreager."
The Cavaliers clearly agree with their coach. They elected Kreager captain for this season, despite the fact that she had not played a single minute as a Cavalier.
"I think it is interesting that Kate was elected having never played a game," Ryan said. "But I think Kate is one of those kids that does everything right."
In Kreager's regular season debut for the Cavaliers, she scored 15 points and had eight rebounds against UNC Greensboro. She also played well in the Rainbow Wahine Classic last weekend in Honolulu, Hawaii. She scored 22 points and had nine rebounds over the course of the three games.
"I'm basically looking to do anything the team needs," Kreager said. "I just want to help us win, that's what it comes down to."
Despite having decided to continue playing collegiate basketball after leaving Xavier, Kreager still focuses on her academics. She is a politics major and an Academic All-ACC honoree last season. Regardless of her reasons for coming to Virginia, the Cavaliers will undoubtedly benefit from her range of talent and leadership.
"Kate has a lot of experience that is going to be great for us," Ryan said. "She has great chemistry with everyone on our team. She understands the game, and she can communicate with other players and get them to do what they're supposed to do."
The team hopes that Kreager's experience and leadership will contribute to a successful 2003-2004 season.
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