The Winning Legacy: Kathleen Everson

Kathleen Everson's career at Bryant will come to an end after this season. But before that happens, there are a few things that the Farmingville, N.Y. native and her team want to accomplish before that happens.

In the three years Everson has been at Bryant, the Bulldogs have won 58 games. It's the most in a three-year period since the team moved to Division I prior to the 2008-09 season, and second most in the Mary Burke era of Bryant basketball, behind only the 2002-03 through 2004-2005 seasons (59 wins).

"Every year that I've been [at Bryant], we've seemed to do something better," Everson said at Bryant's inaugural media day. "My first year here, we were co-regular season champions of the conference. Last year, we made it to the championship and so of course, I would love to keep that legacy going."

The legacy will continue through Everson, as she was named a captain in September by head coach Mary Burke. When the announcement was made, Burke spoke highly of Everson, saying she was an advocate for team success and a selfless member of the program.

The team's success this year will be dependent on some new faces, as Bryant has five freshmen and three sophomores on the roster. With a team as young as the Bulldogs are, preseason practices have been pedal to the metal getting ready for the 2017-18 campaign, which tips off with Bryant heading to Boston College for the opening game on Nov. 10.

"The first few weeks were kind of slow with getting everyone on the same page and with the learning curve," Everson said. "[The freshmen] didn't know any of our plays or our system yet, but everyone's working really, really hard and doing their best. Every day at practice we're getting a little bit better and I think we're going to be fine once the season comes around."

Last season, the Bulldogs advanced to the NEC Championship game for the first time in program history. They fell to Robert Morris, the team that has ended Bryant's hope for an NEC title each of the past four seasons. This year, the teams meet twice, with the second game acting as Bryant's final regular-season home game. It will also serve as Everson's Senior Day.

"For me, personally, that game is always marked on our calendar," Everson said. "Not only is it going to be senior day for me, but it's going to be a really competitive, back-and-forth game."

But for Everson, even more important than the senior game will be what happens after it: the NEC Tournament. After getting a taste of the championship game last year, there's one goal that stands out more than the rest.

That goal? Says Everson, "I want to win the conference."