In a surprising turn of events, Bradley University has suspended women's basketball coach Kate Popovec-Goss for at least 10 games, according to an official release from the school. The suspension comes as a major setback for the second-year coach, who will be sidelined through the rest of the nonconference season.

Starting from Sunday's scheduled game against Central Michigan, the suspension will see assistant Armelia Horton step in as the interim coach for the Braves. Unfortunately, the team lost their season opener on November 6th, marking a challenging start to the season.

Cody Roskens, the assistant director of athletic communications at Bradley, offered no additional comments during the men's basketball game on Saturday. It remains unclear if there were any specific reasons for the suspension.

Popovec-Goss was hired as the head coach of the Bradley women's basketball team in April 2022, following her role as the associate head coach and recruiting director at Northwestern University. She took over from longtime coach Andrea Gorski who retired after a successful 25-year coaching career.

Having played college basketball at both Pittsburgh and Northwestern, Popovec-Goss returned to her alma mater as an assistant coach in 2017. Her talent and dedication led to her appointment as Northwestern's recruiting and defensive coordinator in the spring of 2018. Further recognition came in August 2021 when she was promoted to the position of associate head coach under Joe McKeown at Northwestern.

Despite her impressive coaching background, Bradley struggled in its first season under Popovec-Goss, finishing with a record of 4 wins and 28 losses overall, including a disappointing 1-19 record in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Looking ahead, the Bradley women's basketball team is scheduled to open the Missouri Valley Conference season on December 30th. It remains to be seen how the interim coach, Armelia Horton, will guide the team in the absence of Popovec-Goss.

The suspension of Bradley women's basketball coach Kate Popovec-Goss undoubtedly comes as a blow to the team's future aspirations. As the nonconference season progresses, fans and players alike will be watching closely to see how the Braves navigate their upcoming games under interim leadership.