Krista Kilburn-Steveskey completed her 13th season as Hofstra’s head coach in 2018-19. She has averaged nearly 17 wins per season since arriving on campus in 2006 while posting seven winning seasons and leading the Pride to five appearances in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, including two consecutive appearances in 2014-15 and 2015-16. With a 213-198 career record, Kilburn-Steveskey is the winningest coach in Pride history.
Kilburn-Steveskey, who was named the 11th head women's basketball coach at Hofstra University on May 16, 2006, led the Pride to the WNIT in 2007, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2016, with trips to the quarterfinals in 2007 and 2016 and a second round visit in 2010. She also steered Hofstra to a team Division I-record 26 victories in 2006-07. She signed a multi-year contract extension in October 2013.
Kilburn-Steveskey recorded her 200th career victory on January 14, 2018, with a 65-60 win over Charleston, becoming the first coach in Pride history to reach the milestone.
In 2016-2017, Kilburn-Steveskey led the Pride back to the Colonial Athletic Association quarterfinals, and helped forward Ashunae Durant earn All-CAA and All-Met Second-Team honors. Durant recorded her 1,000th career point, becoming the 12th player in program history to reach the milestone in three seasons or less. Krystal Luciano also joined the 1,000 point club in her final season in Hempstead, while also recording the program’s first triple-double, posting 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a win over UNCW on Jan. 15. Luciano became just the fifth player in CAA history to post 1,000 career points, 500 assists and 400 rebounds.
Under Kilburn-Steveskey’s tutelage, the 2015-16 went 25-9, marking the first time in program history the Pride has posted consecutive 20-win seasons. In addition, Hofstra recorded a 14-1 mark at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex, setting the Division I-era program record for home wins. The team earned a berth in the WNIT, advancing to the quarterfinals. Kilburn-Steveskey became the winningest coach in program history on January 3, 2016. The 58-49 win over Delaware marked her 163rd win at the helm of the Pride, surpassing Harvey Pyser’s 162 coaching wins. In addition, Ashunae Durant was named to the All-CAA Second Team, with Kelly Loftus earning third-team honors and Darius Faulk making the conference’s All-Defensive Team. Durant was also named Second-Team All-Met by the Met Basketball Writers.
In 2014-15, Hofstra went 20-13 and qualified for the WNIT, playing Penn in the first round. The Pride advanced to the CAA Championship title game for the first time since joining the league and added the team’s second-ever win over a nationally ranked program with a 63-62 road win at No. 23 James Madison. It was the third time a Hofstra team has won 20 games under Kilburn-Steveskey. A full seventy-five percent of Hofstra’s 20-win campaigns since the team’s first Division I season in 1982-83 (three-of-four) have come in her tenure. Both of Hofstra’s wins over nationally ranked programs have been coached by Kilburn-Steveskey.
She has also coached the first Associated Press All-American in program history and has coached two CAA Rookies of the Year and six CAA All-Rookie Team members. Under her tutelage, Shante Evans earned four All-CAA selections (including three first-team picks). In 2012-13, Candace Bond became the first Hofstra player to win the CAA’s Defensive Player of the Year award under Kilburn-Steveskey. Ashunae Durant was the 2014-15 CAA Rookie of the Year as well as a Metropolitan Rookie of the Year and Full Court’s Mid-Major Freshman of the Year.
Evans, who was recruited by Kilburn-Steveskey, capped her collegiate career in impressive fashion in 2012-13 by setting Hofstra career records for points and rebounds while earning her third consecutive first team All-Met selection in 2013. The three-time honorable mention All-America selection set the CAA's all-time leading rebounding mark with 1,348 and had the most double-doubles (69) of any active Division I player before exhausting her eligibility.
The 2010-11 Hofstra squad went 19-12 and Evans was named an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American, becoming the first AP All-American in program history. In addition, Evans was named to the USA Basketball team that competed at the Pan American Games in October. She was the first Hofstra women's basketball player to represent USA Basketball in international competition. She was also named to the All-CAA first team and became the first sophomore in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Evans went on to become the first 2,000-point scorer in Hofstra history.
Hofstra compiled a 20-14 record in 2009-10, and the team upset Penn State on the road in the first round of the WNIT. The 2009-10 season also saw the emergence of Evans, who became the first Pride freshman to lead the team in scoring and rebounding since 1992-93.
Kilburn-Steveskey took over a squad that posted 19 wins the year before she arrived (2005-06) and had made its first-ever Division I postseason appearance in the WNIT. Her 2006-07 squad took that success up a notch, finishing the year with a 26-8 record and advancing to the WNIT Quarterfinals with wins over Seton Hall and South Carolina. The team set records (Division I era only) for wins in a season, road wins (13), conference wins (13) and home wins (12, then surpassed in 2015-16). The 13 road wins led the nation and Hofstra's semifinal appearance in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament marked the first time since 1991 and 1992 that the Pride advanced to the semifinals of its conference tournament in back-to-back seasons.
In arguably the greatest season in school history, Kilburn-Steveskey guided Hofstra to wins over teams from the Big 10 (Michigan State), Big East (Seton Hall) and Southeastern (South Carolina) conferences. In addition, the Pride's stunning win over then-No. 17 Michigan State was Hofstra's first-ever over a ranked opponent. Hofstra also notched the two longest win streaks in school history in 2006-07, as the team had streaks of 10 and eight games during the season. An 11-game home court win streak ranks as the longest in program history as well. In addition, Kilburn-Steveskey coached two all-conference selections in Cigi McCollin and Vanessa Gidden, and freshman Sam Brigham was named CAA All-Rookie. McCollin and Gidden also earned All-Metropolitan New York second team honors following the season. For her efforts Kilburn-Steveskey was the inaugural recipient of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Maggie Dixon Award in 2007, which is presented to the top first-year head coach in the nation.
After a rebuilding year in 2007-08 Kilburn-Steveskey led her charges to a 16-14 campaign in 2008-09, and the 11-game improvement from the 2007-08 season ranked as the fourth-best in the nation.
Hofstra has also been successful off the court under Kilburn-Steveskey's watch, as 29 student-athletes have been named to the CAA All-Academic Team, including Anma Onyeuku in 2013-14. She and her teams have been highly active in charitable endeavors, supporting many local and national causes. Kilburn-Steveskey is active with the Interfaith Nutrition Network (The INN), a Long Island based food pantry. On a broader scope, Kilburn-Steveskey is a supporter of the WBCA's Think Pink campaign and also participates in the annual 4Kay Golf Classic in honor of her former North Carolina State Coach Kay Yow.
Prior to coming to Hofstra, Kilburn-Steveskey was a member of the James Madison staff for four years and coordinated the Dukes recruiting and scheduling, as well as assisting with all facets of the Dukes' program. She was instrumental in the recruitment of Tamera Young, a two-time All-CAA first team selection. Young’s strong play earned her an invitation to the USA U20 Women's National Basketball Team Trials. Kilburn-Steveskey also helped recruit and develop Meredith Alexis, was also a first team All-CAA selection and is James Madison's career leader in points and rebounds.
In Kilburn-Steveskey's last two seasons in Harrisonburg, James Madison won a total of 42 games and advanced to the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship game in 2005-06 and to the semifinals in 2004-05. The 42 wins were, at the time, the most in back-to-back years for the Dukes since the program won 22 games in 1994-95 and 21 games the following season.
Before taking her position at James Madison, Kilburn-Steveskey was a highly successful coach on the high school level, coaching the Wheeler High School girls' basketball team in Marietta, Georgia, from 1996 through 2002.
In her six seasons at Wheeler, Kilburn-Steveskey compiled a stellar 143-38 record (79 percent winning percentage) and won the 1998 AAAA state championship. She also led the team to a state quarterfinals appearance in 2001 and to the round of 16 in 1999 and 2000. Wheeler also won regional championships in 1998 and 2001. She was inducted into the Wheeler Hall of Fame in 2017.
Kilburn-Steveskey was named the 1998 Georgia AAAA Coach of the Year and also earned North Georgia, Cobb County and Marietta Daily Journal Coach of the Year that same year. She was the Region 6 AAAA Coach of the Year from 1997 through 2001 and was the recipient of the 1999 Paula Wandell Coach of the Year Award. Prior to her tenure at Wheeler, Kilburn-Steveskey was the head girls' volleyball coach, the assistant girls' varsity basketball coach and the head junior varsity girls' basketball coach at Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone, Georgia, from 1992-96.
Kilburn-Steveskey is a 1990 graduate of North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she was coached by the legendary Yow and served as team captain during her senior year. In her four years at NC State, the Wolfpack compiled an 83-37 record and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1987, 1989 and 1990. The 1990 squad posted a 25-6 record, won the regular season ACC championship and was ranked 11th in the nation by the Associated Press. Following her senior season, Kilburn-Steveskey received the prestigious North Carolina State University Alumni Association Athlete of the Year Award.
Following her collegiate career at North Carolina State, Kilburn-Steveskey was a member of USA Basketball's Women's R. William Jones Cup squad that competed in Taipei, Taiwan, in the summer of 1990.
Kilburn-Steveskey, who holds a degree in speech communication from NC State, earned her Master of Education with a concentration in special education from the State University of West Georgia in Carrollton, Georgia, in 1996.
A standout at Fayette County High School in Fayetteville, Georgia, Kilburn-Steveskey was inducted into the school's hall of fame in 1999.
Krista Kilburn Steveskey Year-By-Year
2006-07 Hofstra 26-8 (WNIT Quarterfinals)
2007-08 Hofstra 5-25
2008-09 Hofstra 16-14
2009-10 Hofstra 20-14 (WNIT Second Round)
2010-11 Hofstra 19-12
2011-12 Hofstra 19-12 (WNIT First Round)
2012-13 Hofstra 14-17
2013-14 Hofstra 14-15
2014-15 Hofstra 20-13 (WNIT First Round)
2015-16 Hofstra 25-9 (WNIT Quarterfinals)
2016-17 Hofstra 13-18
2017-18 Hofstra 11-19
Career 12 Years 202-176
THE KRISTA KILBURN-STEVESKEY FILE
Date Hired: May 16, 2006
Family: Husband: Chuck
Place of Birth: Fayetteville, Georgia
Date of Birth: June 28, 1968
Education: North Carolina State (B.A., speech communication, 1990); West Georgia (M.Ed., special education, 1996)
College Athletic Experience: Basketball (North Carolina State, 1986-90)
Playing Honors: Team Captain (1990), USA Basketball's William R. Jones Cup (1990)
Coaching Experience: Sandy Creek High School (assistant girls' varsity/head junior varsity coach, 1992-96); Wheeler High School (head coach, 1996-2002), James Madison (assistant coach, 2002-05, associate head coach, 2005-06); Hofstra University (head coach, 2006- )
Coaching Accolades: Georgia Region 6 AAAA Coach of the Year (1997-2001), Georgia AAAA Coach of the Year (1998), Cobb County Coach of the Year (1998), Marietta Daily Journal Coach of the Year (1998), Paula Wandell Coach of the Year (1999), WBCA Maggie Dixon Award (2007) Wheeler High School Hall of Fame (2017)
