Purdue Reportedly Makes Decision on Women's Basketball Coach Katie Gearlds
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Purdue women's basketball coach Katie Gearlds will be back for the 2026-27 season, according to a report from Mike Carmin of Greater Lafayette Sports Report. Next year will be her sixth as the leader of the program.
The Boilermakers are coming off a 13-17 season in 2025-26, which included a 5-13 mark in Big Ten play. Purdue reached the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 14 seed but was eliminated by Oregon in the first round.
It was an up-and-down year for Purdue, which featured some big wins and disappointing losses. The Boilermakers showed positive strides by beating Indiana and reclaiming the Barn Burner Trophy in January. Gearlds' team also upset No. 23 Washington at Mackey Arena. Additionally, Purdue made an appearance in the Big Ten Tournament after missing out last year.
However, there were a few disappointing moments in the season, as well. The Boilers dropped road games to mid-major programs Purdue-Fort Wayne and Central Michigan, and also lost a home contest to Penn State late in the year.
Purdue also battled the injury bug at different points throughout the season, as well. Projected starter Taylor Henderson suffered a season-ending injury during the team's first practice of the season. Key guard Taylor Feldman sustained a back injury and never fully recovered, playing in only seven games.
Then, near the end of the season, top three-point shooter Madison Layden-Zay suffered a knee injury that prevented her from playing in her final five games as a Boilermaker.
"We're out there with potentially three starters on the sideline in those white T-shirts," Gearlds said after the Big Ten Tournament loss to Oregon. "So, not ideal situations, but I can't think of a team that I would want to roll out there with any more than those girls and those women in our locker room. They never made excuses; they just kept working."
In five seasons at Purdue, Gearlds has compiled a 74-81 record. The Boilermakers have made two WNIT appearances and one trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Pushing the needle forward is key for Purdue
Gearlds understands how important it is to win in college basketball. Ultimately, she wants Purdue to compete for Big Ten titles again. After the loss in the Big Ten Tournament, she spoke glowingly about how her team continued to compete, even when facing adversity.
"I know the wins don't show it, but there's not a doubt in my mind that this was one of the most fun teams that I've coached here, just because of their competitive spirit and their competitive joy," she said. "Their love for each other carried over every single day, and for that I'm really proud of them."
Purdue must continue to show improvement on the hardwood moving forward. Retaining current players and bringing in high-level recruits will be a key part of that process.
The Boilers have recently received some good news on the recruiting front, landing Israeli guard Maya Zilbershlag as a member of the 2026 recruiting class.
Zilbershlag blossomed for Israel's U18 team during the 2025 EuroBasket, which was played in July. She led the event in scoring, averaging 18.4 points per game and shot 35.7% from the floor. The skilled guard also averaged 8.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest.
Purdue now has a three-person recruiting class for the 2026-27 season, all international players. In addition to Zilbershlag, Purdue has also landed pledges from Katarina Sediva from Slovakia and Keona Douwstra from the Netherlands.
Those additions should provide Purdue with much more depth and experience heading into the 2026-27 campaign.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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