Katie Rokus enters her fourth season as an assistant coach for the program in the fall of 2019.
During her inaugural season with the program in 2016-17, Navy tallied an overall record of 24-10, placed second in the Patriot League regular season with a record of 14-4, advanced to the championship game of the league tournament and competed in the WNIT. The Mids recorded a victory over George Washington in the first round of the WNIT to earn the program’s first national post-season tournament victory.
As a second year assistant coach in 2017-18, Navy compiled a 25-8 record, placed third in the Patriot League with a 13-5 record, reached the title game and gained the Patriot League's automatic berth the WNIT for a second consecutive year. The Mids' 25 wins are the most-ever in a single-season by a Navy women's basketball team and the 49 combined wins over Rokus' first two years are the most-ever for a two-year span, as well.
Rokus' third season with the Midshipmen in 2018-19 season was one marked by contributions from an extremely young squad with only one senior on its roster. The team's top-three scorers all were underclassmen with freshmen guards Jennifer Coleman (13.1 ppg) and Kolbi Green (8.8 ppg) leading the team. Coleman's work as Navy's starting point guard culminated with spots on both the All-Patriot League Third Team and Patriot League All-Rookie Team. As a team, Navy stayed competitive throughout the 2018-19 season (five losses by five or less points) on the strength of its defense that allowed just 57.8 points per game, the second-lowest in the Patriot League.
Rokus arrived in Annapolis after having spent the previous five seasons as an assistant coach at Cincinnati. Included in her stint at the school was a 2012 appearance in the WNIT by the Bearcats, which marked program’s first trip to the postseason in six years. She previously made a trip to the WNIT as a coach in 2009 during the first of her three seasons as an assistant at George Washington.
Rokus began her coaching career during the 2003-04 season as an assistant at UMBC. Her third season at the school (2005-06) saw the Retrievers post their first winning campaign in 12 years, with UMBC going on to win the program’s first America East title and earn its first berth into the NCAA Tournament the very next year. Rokus would serve as the recruiting coordinator and lead assistant coach in each of her final three seasons at UMBC before she departed for George Washington after the 2007-08 season.
Rokus herself excelled in both the classroom and on the basketball court while attending St. John’s College High School and USC Aiken. The Salutatorian of her high school’s Class of 1999, she helped lead the St. John’s basketball team to a four-year record of 107-21 –– she also played soccer at the school –– as well as a No. 16 national ranking during her senior season. Rokus graduated from college in 2003 with magna cum laude distinction and was named the Most Outstanding Senior Student in her class. Those laurels were in addition to her twice serving as the captain of the school’s basketball team. After the Lady Pirates won a Peach Belt Conference divisional title in 2001, the 2002 season saw them repeat as divisional champions, win the conference’s regular season title and make the program’s first NCAA (DII) Tournament appearance.
She resides in Annapolis with her wife, Stacy and son Thor.
