Women's Basketball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach - Recruiting Coordinator
- Email:
- kfaulk2@uw.edu
Katie Faulkner currently serves as an associate head coach for Washington women’s basketball and will enter her third season with the program in 2023-24. A former standout player, Faulkner brings has proven herself as an exceptional recruiter and coach, with over seven years of experience in the Pac-12.
One of Faulkner’s greatest assets is her ability to help players compete at the highest level. During her first two years at Washington, her expertise on the court and contribution to scouting significantly contributed to Washington’s remarkable 12-game improvement. She also helped coach the Huskies to their first postseason berth in six years and saw five players receive honorable mention honors from the Pac-12 (Dalayah Daniels, Lauren Schwartz, and Haley Van Dyke—All-Pac-12; Jayda Noble—All-Pac-12 Defensive Team; Elle Ladine—All-Pac-12 Freshmen Team). During her last two years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Huskies, Faulkner helped bring impressive talent to Montlake. Her organizational support has helped land Washington two nationally ranked recruiting classes.
Entering her third season with the Huskies, Faulkner is no stranger to Pac-12 basketball. Before joining Washington in 2021, she was an assistant coach for Oregon State and supported an impressive 118-37 five-year stretch for the Beavers. Her efforts in Corvallis earned her a reputation as one of the best assistants in the country, with a track record of developing post players, recruiting elite prospects, and helping players flourish into WNBA-level talents.
After joining the Beavers in 2016, Faulkner helped the team achieve four NCAA tournament appearances (including an automatic bid in 2020) and three trips to the Sweet Sixteen. Oregon State earned a 31-4 record, the 2017 Pac-12 regular season title, and an NCAA tournament berth during her first season. The Beavers saw similar success during Faulkner’s sophomore season and recorded 26 wins. That year, they made their sixth-consecutive NCAA tournament appearance and earned a spot in the Elite Eight for the second time in program history. On the recruiting front, Faulkner helped land a McDonald’s All-American in three-consecutive classes for the Beavers (2018, 2019, and 2020).
As one of the top post players in Montana women’s basketball history, Faulkner has coached the position adeptly throughout her career. In 2021, Oregon State had a roster with seven forwards/centers standing 6-foot-3 or taller, including 6-foot-4 Taylor Jones, who led the Pac-12 in rebounding and was the Beavers second-leading scorer. Unsurprisingly, OSU ranked second in the conference that year with 5.3 blocks per game and made a run in the NCAA tournament. Years prior, Faulkner helped coach center Marie Gulrich, a Lisa Leslie Award semi-finalist and All-Pac-12 First Team selection in back-to-back seasons. Gulrich was also selected as Pac-12 Media Defensive Player of the Year and became a first-round WNBA draft pick in 2018.
Faulkner spent the 2015-16 season as a graduate assistant coach at Wisconsin. Notable wins over Purdue and Penn State highlighted her tenure with the Badgers. Faulkner helped facilitate the growth of seniors Nicole Bauman and Michala Johnson. Bauman ended her career as Wisconsin’s all-time leader in 3-point percentage. At the same time, Johnson became the Badgers’ career record holder for field goal percentage.
Before joining the Wisconsin staff, Faulkner spent a season as an assistant coach at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. Her year with the Mountain Lions was one of the most successful in program history, as the team went 26-7 and made a run to the Sweet Sixteen in the Division II NCAA Tournament.
A 2013 graduate of the University of Montana, Faulkner is one of the greatest players in Montana women’s basketball history. She was the Big Sky Conference Player of the Year as a senior and finished fifth all-time in scoring, tenth in rebounding, and fifth in blocked shots. She also led her team in scoring all four years and was given All-Big Sky honors every year.
While at Montana, she appeared in two NCAA tournaments and was awarded four All-Academic Big Sky honors (2009-2013), one All-Region Select Team honor (2012-13), and one WBCA All-American Honorable Mention (2012-13). After graduation, Faulkner continued her playing career with a professional season in Europe.
Personally, Faulkner and her husband, Derek, have two children, Baker and Laney.
