Women coaching and officiating among men is becoming more common at all levels of basketball, from high school to the pros.

A local woman is following that trend.

Former Saint Vincent and Fox Chapel basketball standout Kayla Slovenec has been named a graduate assistant coach at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, Fla.

St. Thomas is a NAIA program.

The head coach of the Bobcats is former Saint Vincent coach DP Harris, who led the Bearcats for 16 years before taking the job in Florida last March.

Slovenec, a dependable backcourt leader when she played in Latrobe, averaged 7.3 points over 112 college games.

She was an All-Presidents’ Athletic Conference honorable mention pick as a senior as she helped SVC win a conference title and reach the NCAA Division III Tournament.

“Kayla and I worked together for a short time at Saint Vincent, and one of the promises I made to the president (David A. Armstrong, J.D.) when I took the job was that I would bring in people that make a difference in our players’ lives,” Harris said in a news release. “Kayla brings a passion and a work ethic that fits the Bobcat way, and most importantly, she is an ethical leader with a jump shot.”

Slovenec is eager to begin her coaching journey. She said she wants to be “seen as an equal.”

“Challenges are there in anything we want to accomplish in life, even in basketball,” Slovenec said. “One of the most difficult parts of switching from the men’s to the women’s game, and from a player to coach, is fitting into the leadership role straight from college. As a coach, I have to build respect, be relatable to the players, and find my own voice and coaching style.”

Slovenec earned a communications degree at SVC and is pursuing a MBA in marketing at St. Thomas.

Led by Harris, St. Thomas went 22-6 last season and played in the Sun Conference Tournament and lost to No. 17 Southeastern in the championship.

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