Randy Smith: It's Katie's Turn

It's tough enough to follow one coaching legend, but even tougher to follow two, but that is what's ahead for Katie Galloway Burrows as she takes the helm of the UTC women's basketball program this season. Katie played for Wes Moore who led the Mocs to unprecedented greatness before taking the North Carolina State job. She then joined Coach Moore's staff before coaching for Hall of Fame coach Jim Foster before he retired this past spring. 

Katie was born into one of Chattanooga's great sports families. Joe Galloway is a coaching legend in his own right at Lookout Valley High School, where all his kids, Katie, Keith and Kristen attended and all were outstanding athletes. I first saw Katie when she was about ten or eleven years old. She was playing fast pitch softball for a team in Lookout Valley.Their team was playing in a tournament in Powell's Crossroads that particular weekend and she was pitching. I was umpiring and I was totally amazed at how she competed. Sure her skills were great, but it was her competitiveness that got my attention. I told her dad how impressed I was with her determination and drive and she was going to be a great athlete when she gets older. Boy was I correct. She went on to play for UTC and she helped lead the UTC women to an upset win over Rutgers in the NCAA Tournament, (she hit a three-pointer from mid-court at the halftime buzzer to help put the nail in the coffin) in one of the great all-time UTC victories. After that performance, Katie won over a lot of fans.

When Coach Jim Foster retired, I'm sure there was a lot of interest in the UTC job and I'm sure that athletic director Mark Wharton was impressed with a lot of them. But a lot of people in Chattanooga went to bat for Katie Galloway Burrows and I'm really glad he listened to them because there was no one better suited for the job. In Wes Moore and Jim Foster she learned from two of the best ever. Her first team at UTC is a young squad with just two seniors so there is a challenge ahead.

Now Katie is preparing her first team at UTC for the 2018-19 season, which starts on November 6th at home against Lee University. The Mocs then face national power Louisville on the road a few days later so her team should be battle tested early in the season. Then there is the big "reunion" game on December 21st when Wes Moore brings his N.C. State team to McKenzie Arena. Seats could be at a premium that night as they should be.

I certainly hope that Coach Burrows has a lot of success at UTC; success just like her predecessors. I'm sure she will because she is a tough competitor, perhaps as tough as anyone I've known.