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Wayne State University Athletics

Karen Lafata headshot

Karen Lafata

Updated April 8, 2022

Karen Lafata, who concluded her 11th year as an assistant women's basketball coach at Wayne State University in March of 2022, announced her retirement on April 8, 2022.

She joined the Warrior coaching staff in May of 2011 after serving the previous 13 years (1998-2011) as the head coach at Schoolcraft Community College.  She brought 33 years of head coaching experience to the Warrior program having spent two years at Macomb Community College (1996-98) following 18 years in the high school ranks.  Lafata began her coaching career in 1971 with the St. Ladislaus Junior Varsity squad.

Lafata aided head coach Carrie Lohr in becoming WSU's all-time winningest coach in just her eighth year guiding the Warriors.  Wayne State advanced to the NCAA tournament four times during her tenure in midtown Detroit.

Wayne State had 78 Academic All-GLIAC honorees in her 11 years on staff, including a school-record 11 for the 2021-22 academic year.

During her tenure at WSU, Lafata has been instrumental in the academic success of the women's basketball program, which included a 3.816 term GPA for the Fall 2021 semester in which 15 of the 16 student-athletes earned Warrior Elite status (term GPA 3.5+).

In addition, Lafata has coordinated community service outreach activities for the Warriors.  During the 2019-20 academic year, the women's basketball program ranked third nationally, and improved to being the top-ranked women's basketball program in Division 2 during 2020-21 in terms of community service hours performed.

On the court, Lafata was involved in guard development which resulted in eight All-GLIAC performers, including First Team honoree Shannon Wilson in 2017-18.  In addition, three times one of her guards received GLIAC All-Defensive Team recognition, including Ja'Nae Williams in both 2017-18 and 2018-19.  Most recently, Kate Sherwood earned Second Team All-GLIAC honors in both 2020-21 and 2021-22, along with GLIAC All-Defensive Team accolades in 2021-22.

In just her second year on the WSU staff in 2012-13, she helped guide the Warriors to the second-most wins in a season (22) as well as the first two NCAA tournament wins in program history.  That squad tied for the GLIAC North Division title with a 17-5 league record, the first conference crown of any type since the 1980-81 campaign.

The following season, Wayne State won the GLIAC regular-season title with a 17-5 record and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year.

In 2014-15, Lafata assisted the Warriors in tying the school record for wins in a season (23), claim the GLIAC South Division title with a school record 18 league victories and advance to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.  After competing in the NCAA Tournament once in the first 38 years of the program, WSU qualified three straight seasons (2013-14-15) posting a 5-3 mark in NCAA Tournament play.

Lafata compiled a 326-77 record (80.9 winning percentage) during her tenure with the Ocelots, which included eight conference titles including her last five seasons where SCC registered an 83-3 league ledger.  Her SCC squads were ranked in the top 10 nationally nine times including a runner-up finish at the 2009 NJCAA Division II national tournament.

She earned six MCCAA (Michigan Community College Athletic Association) State Coach of the Year awards including each of her last four campaigns at Schoolcraft.  Her first two awards were received in 2002 and 2005.

Lafata mentored five District H Player of the Year recipients as well as 20 student-athletes who were voted to the All-Region XII and MCCAA State squads.  In addition, she had nine players earn NJCAA Division II All-America honors and 41 who received All-MCCAA Eastern Conference accolades.

Recognition for her players did not end at the conclusion of the regular season, as five were named to the NJCAA National Tournament team with 16 earning District H All-Tournament team honors.

Lafata had eight Eastern Conference All-Defensive team selections with four earning Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors.

A four-time District H Coach of the Year recipient, Lafata recorded a 362-102 (78.0 winning percentage) in her 15 years as a head coach in the MCCAA after winning 197 games in 18 years at the high school varsity level.

Her Schoolcraft squad set the NJCAA Division II single-game scoring record by pouring in 147 points in a victory over Jackson Community College on November 8, 2010.

A 1974 graduate of WSU with a bachelor's degree in special education, she later earned a master's degree from WSU in 1978 in special education (emotionally impaired).  In 2000, Lafata received an educational administration degree, also from WSU.

A 2011 inductee into the Macomb County Coaches Hall of Fame, Lafata was also inducted into the USSSA (United States Sports Specialty Association) Hall of Fame in 2004.  She received a BCAM (Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan) century award in 2011 for her 500th varsity victory (high school and college).