Ready to ride the Wave — Faulkner, former Lake City, Montana basketball star, named head women’s basketball coach at Pepperdine.
By MARK NELKE
Sports editor
And to think, Katie (Baker) Faulkner nearly became a nurse.
A noble profession to be sure, and something she considered after a stellar basketball career at Lake City and Montana, followed by one year playing professionally in Luxembourg.
Back home in Coeur d’Alene, her playing career over, she applied to advanced nursing school at Montana State, and got it. A thousand applicants, and 16 got in.
“And I decided I didn’t want to go,” Faulkner said. “So then I got into coaching, moved down to Colorado Springs and … one thing after another led me to Wisconsin and led me to Oregon State and Washington, and now Pepperdine.
“There’s no template in this business. Everyone’s paths are so unique.”
On Friday, Faulkner, 33, was named head women’s basketball coach at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif.
“I always loved basketball, I loved leading people,” Faulkner said Friday from her home in Shoreline, Wash., just north of Seattle, where’s she been an assistant coach at the University of Washington the past three seasons, including being associate head coach this past season. “Did I ever think it would lead to being the head coach at Pepperdine? No. Not in a million years. But I love impacting people — that’s always been ingrained in my life. And I love basketball. And the fact that both get to collide is just really special.”
Faulkner graduated in 2009 from Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy, where she also played volleyball. In hoops, she led Lake City to a state title in 2007 (Charter did not have a varsity basketball team then), and was a three-time Gatorade Idaho Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
At Montana, she led the Griz to the NCAA Tournament twice, was the Big Sky Conference Player of the Year as a senior and was fifth on the all-time scoring list when she graduated.
In her first season as a college assistant, at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, the Mountain Lions advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division II Tournament.
Faulkner then spent a season as a grad assistant at Wisconsin.
She then was an assistant under Scott Rueck at Oregon State for five seasons (2016-21). During that time, the Beavers played in four NCAA tournaments, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2018.
“"It was clear early on in our time working together that Katie possesses the qualities to lead a program of her own one day,” Rueck said in a Pepperdine press release. “I am excited for her to have this opportunity and wish her and her family all the best in this exciting new adventure."
Faulkner spent the last three seasons under Tina Langley at Washington, where the Huskies reached the semis of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament in 2023, and qualified for the new Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament this past season. U-Dub was 16-15 this season, after going 19-15 in 2022-23.
“She is a rising star in this profession, whose experience and knowledge of the college basketball landscape will make an immediate impact,” Langley said. “ Her insights, passion for the game, and genuine care for our student-athletes have been invaluable.”
Then a member of a search committee from Pepperdine called Faulkner.
On Friday, shortly after the announcement, Faulkner presided over a Zoom meeting with the current players at Pepperdine.
It was her first meeting as the boss of a program.
“I’ve been really blessed to work with amazing leaders who empower us, even as assistants, to be the voice of the program,” Faulkner said. “I’ve been doing that with Tina, I was able to do that with Scott. And of course, when it’s your own, it holds a little bit more weight, but it certainly felt right.”
One of her coaching influences from North Idaho is Chris Carlson, former North Idaho College women’s basketball coach, and her AAU coach with North Idaho Elite. Since then, she occasionally calls him up for coaching advice.
“What I loved about Chris was, it was always about the people, always about the players,” Faulkner said.
Katie and Derek Faulkner were married in September 2018 and have a son, Baker (age 2 ½) and daughter, Laney (9 months).
Katie and Derek met at OSU, where Derek was an assistant men’s soccer coach, and Beaver coaches gathered to play pickup basketball during the noon hour.
“He hit three 3s in my face, and I guess it was fate after that,” Katie said with a laugh.
Faulkner said she was impressed with the leadership at Pepperdine, and the vision that leadership has for women’s athletics.
The Waves are coming off a 5-25 season (1-15 in the West Coast Conference), under an interim coach. Pepperdine’s last winning season was 16-15 in 2019-20. The Waves have played in four NCAA tournaments, the last coming in 2006. Their last postseason appearance was the 2019 WNIT. Pepperdine last won the WCC regular-season title in 2003, and last won the WCC tournament in 2006.
How does Faulkner plan to turn the program around? The campus sits next to the Pacific Ocean, and the beach is “not everything, but it’s definitely a plus,” she said.
“It starts with the people,” Faulkner added. “There’s great people at the top who are investing and care about women and the women’s basketball program, and so I plan to bring in a great staff, I plan to recruit great people who are excited to be at Pepperdine. I think through culture and through hard work, this is going to be a great place to compete and win championships.”
Courtesy University of Washington Athletics Katie (Baker) Faulkner, left, holding Laney, and husband Derek Faulkner, holding Baker.