While in high school, Welch played basketball outside of Dayton at Fairmont High School in Kettering. Her time at Kettering was fruitful, winning a state championship her senior year.
Her impressive high school career earned her a scholarship to Pitt to continue her basketball career. Her time at Pitt was cut short, as she spent two years on the west side of Pennsylvania before transferring to Wright State, a college right outside of the Dayton area where she grew up.
“At Pitt, honestly, I was recruited as a guard,” said Welch. “A lot of times I was playing out of position. I just wasn’t happy in that realm.”
Switching schools did wonders for Welch, as she felt it was a place she was more in line with.
At Wright State, Welch flourished in a system under Head Coach Katrina Merriweather that benefited her and her skillset much better.
Her Wright State career was illustrious, earning her a spot on the Horizon League’s first-team from 2016-18, as well as Horizon League Player of the Year in 2018.
While a Raider, Welch took on a key leadership role that prepared her for a career after she was done playing.
“We didn’t necessarily have a captain-specific role with an actual title, but (I was) kind of being in that leadership role,” said Welch. “I was like an extension of my coach on the court … I could kind of see the court in one way and then Katrina would kind of help me see it in other ways.”
At Wright State, Welch realized coaching could be in her future, especially after taking on the role as one of the team’s biggest leaders.
“I was always wanting to try different plays and always coming to the timeouts and being like ‘Let’s try this instead,’” said Welch. “My love for the game kind of inspired me to want to give back and teach girls and teach players the game and coach, so it definitely piqued my interest once I started taking that leadership role.”
After her career at Wright State ended, Welch jumped into professional basketball, traveling across the world to compete in Portugal. Welch was named Import Player of the Year during her first year playing abroad and led her conference in scoring.
Beyond her success on the court overseas, it was in Portugal that Welch learned and used the communication skills that are so crucial when coaching.
“It showed me communication,” Welch said. “There were language barriers here and there, but I loved the fact that basketball is what everyone knew. It was almost like the universal language. It just kind of showed that communication is even more important when you’re playing with people who don't speak the same language as you.”
Those skills are key in all aspects of coaching, especially when recruiting high school students to come to play college basketball. Welch is constantly going on the road to scout prospects, and the skills she had learned from Portugal and Wright State help out immensely.
“What makes a good recruiter is the communication piece,” Welch said. “You have to be able to reach out to players, prospects, transfers, whoever you're recruiting and kind of build a relationship with them off the court. It's really important to show that like you're not just being recruited … we’re building relationships and bonds.”