Kelsey Bolte has come back home.

After playing a year overseas in France and Sweden, the former ISU women’s basketball player has joined the Drake women’s basketball staff as coordinator of basketball operations.

Bolte, who is a native of Ida Grove, Iowa, applied for the position soon after Drake named its new leader.

“When they named the new head coach I wanted to make sure I got my resume and cover letter sent over as quickly as possible,” Bolte said.

Drake’s new coach, Jennie Baranczyk, was an assistant coach for both Colorado and Kansas State, and attempted to recruit Bolte before she chose to play at Iowa State.

Bolte averaged 12.1 points per game during her four-year career as a Cyclone, and finished her stint in Ames as the sixth all-time leading scorer with 1,639 points.

After being selected in the third round of the 2011 WNBA Draft by the Atlanta Dream, Bolte ended up spending the year overseas.

Bolte said she has always wanted to coach though, adding that her former coach Bill Fennelly was supportive in her effort to obtain her new position at Drake.

“He was 100 percent supportive of me and what I wanted to do,” Bolte said. “He knew I wanted to get into coaching and he wanted to help me any way he could.”

Already working in her new position, Bolte said she is currently focused on summer camps for the team.

Next season she’ll find herself on the bench, having traded a jersey for coaching attire. And eventually, she will find herself on the opposite side of the court, facing some of her former teammates and her former coach.

“It’s going to be different, it’s going to be weird sitting on the other side of the floor,” Bolte said. “I can’t really express what my feelings will be a couple of months from now. I’m just really excited.”