Katie Cronin, former CSU women’s basketball star

Katie Cronin, a former basketball star, awaits her induction into the CSU Sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 29.

By Irv Moss | imoss@denverpost.com | The Denver Post

PUBLISHED: October 11, 2010 at 3:49 p.m. | UPDATED: May 5, 2016 at 4:20 a.m.

Anyone seeking the definition of a team, just ask Katie Cronin.

Then be ready to take notes.

In her senior season with the Colorado State women’s basketball team in 1998-99, the Rams were 33-3 and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

The season began with a boost in national recognition with victories over ranked Florida, Rutgers and Oregon in the preseason National Invitation Tournament.

The Rams were ranked as high as fourth in the polls during the season.

“None of us had a selfish bone in our body,” Cronin said. “We didn’t have five players who thought they were superstars. Everybody was a piece of the puzzle, and we helped each other.”

Cronin’s piece to the puzzle was playing guard. At 6-feet, she had played the post at Horizon High School, so she had to learn to play facing the basket and how to shoot from the backcourt.

“I’ve always played aggressively,” Cronin said. “I began learning to play that way in games with my brother and his friends when I was 5 years old. Playing guard, I liked taking the ball to the basket and I had to learn how to shoot 3-pointers. I lived off the 3-point field goal when I played.”

Cronin was a vital part of CSU’s glory years in women’s basketball. She joined the Rams in the 1995-96 season as a freshman and was a starter in all 145 career games.

The Rams posted a 124-21 record, won a Western Athletic Conference Tournament championship and two regular-season titles and played in the NCAA Tournament three times during Cronin’s career. She was an all-conference selection three consecutive years.

Cronin’s 1,881 career points rank second in CSU history, behind teammate Becky Hammon’s 2,740 points.

“We all felt that Becky Hammon was the best player in the country during our time,” Cronin said. “She was a great teammate and always supplied a spark for our team.”

Cronin’s career wasn’t without some anxiety. She experienced the uncertainty of a coaching change halfway through. Greg Williams left CSU after the 1996-97 season and Tom Collen took over the Rams.

“You always wonder what’s going to happen with a new coach,” Cronin said. “You think about having to prove yourself all over again.

“It turned out it wasn’t a difficult transition. We all met with Coach Collen when he took over, and he calmed our nerves. My two college coaches taught me how to be a better player.”

Cronin’s post-CSU basketball career had its ups and downs. Her playing days became a journey between tryouts in the WNBA and gaining more experience while playing overseas. Her playing assignments were in Israel, Ger- many and Portugal.

“I was 23 years old when I first went overseas to play,” Cronin said. “I got off the airplane and I was in Tel Aviv, Israel. It was an eye- opener for me.”

She also tried coaching, interrupting her playing career to join the staffs at Seton Hall and Santa Clara, each for a year. She left basketball in 2007 after playing in Portugal.

“I knew it was time,” Cronin said. “I got tired of living out of a suitcase, and I missed being home.”

She joined a communications firm as a project manager and says she loves her new life out of basketball. But she still has ties to the game through her brother, Joe Cronin, a scout for the Portland Trail Blazers, and she admits that someday she might listen to a coaching offer if one comes along.

But for now, Cronin is content with her memories. She remembers CSU fans treating the women’s team as if it were family. Teammates including Hammon, Shannon Randles, Roxanne Manning, Angie Gorton and Jacque Johnson remain close friends.

Basketball was a humbling, rewarding experience for Cronin and on Oct. 29 at the Fort Collins Marriott, it will take her into the CSU Sports Hall of Fame.

“Basketball meant so much to me,” Cronin said. “I’m truly humbled and grateful for this honor and to be thought of alongside of people such as Fum McGraw (former CSU star and athletic director) and all of the other great inductees.”