Huskers Add Top 100 Freshman Cain to Post Game

One of the top 100 players nationally in the 2017 high school senior class will join the Nebraska women's basketball program for the 2017-18 season, as Coach Amy Williams announced on Friday that 6-5 center Kate Cain will join the Husker program. 

Cain, who graduated from Pine Bush High School in New York, originally signed her National Letter of Intent with Delaware in November of 2016. Cain was released from her NLI after a coaching change at Delaware during the offseason. She chose Nebraska over Virginia, Minnesota and Dayton. She will have four years of eligibility at Nebraska beginning immediately in the 2017-18 season. As a senior, she was ranked as the No. 82 overall player in the nation by ESPN, which had her ranked as the No. 10 prep post player in the country. She originally chose Delaware over Syracuse, West Virginia and Seton Hall.

Williams said Cain will provide immediate help for the Huskers in the post, while bringing her work ethic and high character to the team.

"We're excited to have Kate join our program," Williams said. "She brings a strong back-to-the-basket post presence to our team and much-needed depth at that position. She's got great hands and a good presence around the rim. She is an excellent student, has great character and fits perfectly with the humble, hard-working culture we are establishing at Nebraska."

Cain was a finalist for Miss New York Basketball honors as a senior, when she averaged 25.2 points, 12.3 rebounds and 7.9 blocks per game for Coach Bill Lacouara at Pine Bush High School. She was a first-team USA Today All-New York selection in 2016-17. She averaged 24.3 points, 15.0 rebounds and 8.0 blocks per game as a junior. Cain, who hails from Middletown, N.Y., played her club basketball for Coach John Reilly and the Hudson Valley Elite AAU program. She also helped Pine Bush to the New York state volleyball finals.

Cain has a strong family background in basketball. Her father, Tim, graduated as the all-time leading scorer (1,872 points) in Manhattan College history. He was a two-time honorable-mention All-American by The Sporting News, averaging 17.3 points per game during his career for the Jaspers. Kate's mother, Alison (Martinsky) Cain, was also a 1,000-point career scorer as a collegian at Fairfield, finishing with 1,071 points. She also ranked 10th in Fairfield history with 734 career rebounds, while ranking second in Stags history with 268 blocks. Alison played professionally in Ireland. Kate's older brother, John, is a 6-10 starting left-handed pitcher for the Lafayette baseball team. She also has a younger brother, Chris.