The first question asked to new South Dakota women’s basketball head coach Kayla Karius during the hiring process was “why USD?” it happened.
“Yes!” Karius said with a laugh on Monday. “I bought this.”
“It was an easy answer,” he said. And for South Dakota, that made the choice easy: Karius was their next head coach.
Even as Dawn Plitzuweit left the program to become the next head coach in West Virginia, South Dakota president Sheila Gestring said the program remained “on an incredible trajectory.” She said there are many talented candidates to choose from, but in the end Karius made it easy.
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“I can tell you what,” said David Herbster, USD Athletic Director, “we definitely got it right.”
Karius was introduced on Monday as the 11th head coach in the program’s history. His hiring is another dedication to perhaps the best period of South Dakota players. After South Dakota, Karius spent three seasons in Wisconsin and then a year with Drake, where he was an assistant before returning to the Coyotes.
As Dawn Plitzuweit’s assistant for Plitzuweit’s first two seasons in South Dakota, Karius was instrumental in recruiting South Dakota big names Chloe Lamb and Hannah Sjerven, as well as Liv Korngable, Monica Arens, current Coyotes forward Allison Peplowski and more. He “leaded” the defense during his time with the program and said he had “eye-to-eye” with Plitzuweit in the way he led the team on the defensive side of the pitch.
While his role is different now, he’s determined to recruit the state of South Dakota and get him ready for workouts like he did as an assistant at USD four years ago.
“We’ve made incredible memories and there’s something about this place that really feels like home to us,” Karius said. “So it is not easy for us to return to Vermillion and make it our new home.”
Earlier:Dawn Plitzuweit leaves South Dakota: ‘It’s hard to say goodbye’
Herbster says one of the driving factors in hiring is familiarity with the program.
Herbster said Karius quickly “reconfirmed” much of what he knew about him during the hiring process. Herbster was familiar: Karius knows the show and knows the players who could do well at Vermillion.
Especially with the success of player-focused coaches like Plitzuweit before Karius, Herbster highlighted Karius’ ability to create a positive environment within the team. There will be times when things don’t “go well” on the pitch, Herbster said, but one trait of Karius that follows him at all stops is that the players are “not visibly upset” with each other.
“Communicating, not just on the court, but off the court is very important – fostering that sense of family and truly connecting the team with the community, not just the department,” Herbster says. “So you were really bought.”
Karius didn’t go in with any coaching experience, but Herbster said it “feels right sometimes.” He drew comparisons to the recruiting process of USD volleyball head coach Leanne Williamson, who had no experience managing her own program but now leads the Coyotes to four consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
Karius knew this was a question he had to address but tried to rely on “the advantage on my side”. He’s been there, knows how to recruit there, and has prior relationships with all but two members of the Coyotes 2021-22 roster in South Dakota, Wisconsin, or Drake.
She also had to see what the transition was like for a new coach in South Dakota women’s basketball. When Karius entered the program, Plitzuweit was replacing former head coach Amy Williams, who had just come back from the WNIT championship with the Coyotes – the biggest success in the show’s history at the time.
“There will be some cultural artifacts that I think make sense to continue,” Karius said. “I guess those were my big advantages in coming back here.”
Karius still didn’t know what to expect. But Herbster introduced him to the team on Sunday night, and “it was like a surprise party.”
Herbster said, “The glint in his eyes. Excitement. Smiles. Hugs,” she said. “It was like old house week.”
Karius said every female basketball player currently registered in South Dakota is there. Karius said he was even able to hold talks with South Dakota players currently on the transfer portal, with first-class guards Maddie Krull and Kyah Watson – which he wants to continue in the future.
The initial warm welcome was fun, but as his first day started, Karius said his number one priority was to spend even more time with the team.
“Really spending time with and being with them,” Karius said, “but also spending one-on-one time with them and making sure we start a relationship and continue to develop a relationship in some cases. “
Follow Sioux Falls Argus Leader reporter Michael McCleary on Twitter @mikejmccleary.
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