Kathy Karlsson had an offer she just couldn’t refuse.
Merrimack women’s basketball coach Ann McInerney was in the running for the job at the University of Maine. Karlsson, an Auburn native and Maine alum, had been her assistant for six years.
“She asked, If I get it, would you be interested?'” said Karlsson. “It came down to deciding whether to do that or look into the head coaching job at Merrimack. This seemed like a better fit for me.”
“It’s all the fit,” added Karlsson, who was named the new associate head coach at Maine last week. “For me, it’s the person you’re working with, and the philosophy you share.”
After graduating from Edward Little, Karlsson played at Maine for three seasons. In 1992, she earned her Masters of Education degree in human movement/physical education at Boston University.
She began coaching at the collegiate level as an assistant at Brandeis and later served as an assistant at BU. She joined McInerney at Merrimack and was her top assistant. She was promoted to associate head coach last season, taking on the additional responsibilities within the athletic department as the Assistant Athletic Director/Senior Women’s Administrator.
The last two seasons, with a team built solely by the recruiting of McInerney and Karlsson, the Warriors went 60-10. In 2002-03, Merrimack had a 21-9 record, the first 20-plus-win season in the school’s history. The team reached the NCAA Division II Tournament and reached the regional semifinals. The following year, the Warriors went 31-4 and finished ranked fourth in the nation. The team won the Northeast Regional and reached the Final Four.
Last year, the team went 29-6 and was conference co-champions. The Warriors repeated at the Northeast Regional and reached the Final Four for the second straight year.
When McInerney left for Maine, it not only provided Karlsson a chance to return home, but also gave her the opportunity to coach at the Division I level again.
Whether she would be interested in a head coaching job somewhere in the future, Karlsson can’t say. She’s excited about returning to the Division I level and is content with her assistant’s role.
“I’m just happy to be here,” she said. “I’m thrilled to be here. Where the road takes you, who knows.”
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