New BC women’s basketball coach Kate Popovec-Goss says program’s rebuild ‘will be rooted in relationships’
After coaching stops at La Salle, Northwestern, Colgate, and Northwestern again, she led Bradley from 2022-26.
For new Boston College women’s basketball coach Kate Popovec-Goss, revitalizing a program desperate for a reawakening truly feels like a family endeavor.
Her husband, Ollie Goss, served as an assistant on her staff at Bradley University and will do the same with the Eagles. Their daughter, 4-month-old Mira, traveled to games with her parents as a newborn and already has been to nine states.
They sat to her left Wednesday afternoon in the Yawkey Athletics Center as Popovec-Goss delivered her plan for creating a family atmosphere in her new role. Popovec-Goss elevated the Braves from four wins in 2022-23 to 20 in 2025-26, and she knows it may take time to help a BC program coming off a five-win campaign ascend in similar fashion.
That’s OK, Popovec-Goss said, as long as they build winning habits and a culture where they play for one another. Passion, energy, and intensity are staples of her personality, and as a coach, she wants her players to understand that’s simply how she shows her love. That’s how they know she considers them family.
“As this community gets to know me, you will find I wear my heart on my sleeve,” Popovec-Goss said. “That is how I lead, and that is how I empower. Transparency may not always feel great, but it leads to trust, and without trust we will not win. Our culture, most importantly, will be rooted in relationships.”
Director of athletics Blake James, who welcomed new men’s basketball coach Luke Murray to campus on Tuesday, referred to Popovec-Goss as someone who “knows how to build a winner” on and off the floor.
“We weren’t just looking for a coach who could win games,” James said. “We were looking for someone who demands excellence on the court while fostering the intellectual and personal growth of our student-athletes. Someone with experience in assembling a roster and developing players, someone with high integrity.”
Popovec-Goss, 36, grew up in Ohio and played at the University of Pittsburgh and Northwestern. She realized at a young age that she couldn’t get by on her 6-foot-4-inch stature alone, so she dedicated herself to become a well-rounded player.
After coaching stops at La Salle, Northwestern, Colgate, and Northwestern again, she led Bradley from 2022-26. While at Northwestern, she recruited and coached Newton native and current WNBA star Veronica Burton.
“She just has a desire and a relentless just fortitude for winning,” Popovec-Goss said of Burton. “It didn’t matter what we did. It could be a defensive drill, could be a shooting drill. Whatever team she was on found a way to win.”
Popovec-Goss tried to recruit players with a similar mentality at Bradley, where she helped the Braves develop into a defensive juggernaut. Ollie Goss said that his wife is “defense, defense, defense,” while he focuses more on offense.
He beamed with pride as he raved about her relentless positivity, can-do attitude, and confidence. He said it really helps that they love each other, because if they didn’t, living together, working together, and raising a daughter together would be a nightmare. Fortunately, it’s a dream.
Ollie Goss highlighted his wife’s ability to help anyone and everyone around her, whether it’s with the transfer portal, an on-court problem, or something outside of basketball. He described her as someone who exceeds expectations in all facets of life.
“She just always impresses in everything she does,” he said. “She’s a superstar. I’ve always told her that, even before we were married.”
Popovec-Goss is aware of the challenges of winning and contending in the Atlantic Coast Conference. She said she had some “tough conversations” with players and ended up bringing back about half of the roster from this past season, understanding a seamless transformation won’t happen overnight.
The goal now is to attack the transfer portal to try to find players who fit into her philosophy and can help fortify a program that hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament in 20 years. She said that in her conversations with James during the interview process, it was evident that the program wouldn’t settle for staying where it is.
Many people ask themselves, “Why?” Popovec-Goss prefers to ask herself, “Why not?”
“We haven’t yet had the opportunity to win at Boston College,” Popovec-Goss said. “I have unwavering trust and confidence that we will.”
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