By T. Scott Boatright
Choudrant High School looked to a familiar Lincoln Parish face as Brandy Tyler Roberson has been named head coach for the Lady Aggies basketball program.
Roberson, the reigning Ruston Elementary School Teacher of the Year, has an parish-experienced resume including two seasons as the head coach of the Simsboro High School girls basketball team.
Roberson hopes the fact she has well more than 10 coaching and teaching years under her belt will make her the leader the Lady Aggies need.
“I was head coach early on … then I stepped back,” Roberson said. “I’m not about to say I have it all, but I do have a little more wisdom now. I’m better prepared. I’m a different person than I was then and I handle situations different than then.
“And I have my own kids now, and I think that’s changed me – matured me as well. I think that I know what to expect. I know what I’m getting into before I get into it. I think I know how to handle whatever situations come up better.”
Roberson, who graduated from Weston High School and Louisiana Tech, has multiple ties to Choudrant – she was a student teacher there 11-12 years ago and has family attending school there.
“Then I went to Simsboro as head coach for two years and then went to Ruston High and assisted there for two years,” Roberson said.
While still lending a helping hand at RHS, Roberson has taught at Ruston Elementary the last six years.
“I’ve coached boys and girls basketball, and boys and girls cross country,” Roberson said of her time at RES. So all their athletics, pretty much.
Roberson admits that won’t compare to returning to the high school girls hoops coaching bench.
“I took time away to see things from a different lens, I would say,” Roberson said. “I did really enjoy working with little kids and building their foundations. And I think my experience helped.
“But now I’m looking at the bigger picture. And being able to watch these older girls grow and blossom, is a big part of it. And we really get to compete. Not that we didn’t compete in elementary school but this gives me something to work for. And I want it.”
Roberson says that familiarity with the CHS softball program will help.
“I worked with some of the softball team over the summer for a lot of summers,” Roberson said. “I gave a lot of Lady Aggies shooting lessons over the summers. So I never lost touch with the Choudrant community. It’s almost like a welcome home.”
Choudrant Principal Chris Jones said Roberson seemed to be the prime choice to take over for Geoffrey Underwood, who has been promoted to assistant principal at CHS,
“We’re excited,” Jones said. “Brandy is very energetic.She’s worked with some of our kids and she’s been a varsity coach, but she’s also worked with younger kids. I think she’s going to do a great job bridging the gap from middle school up through varsity.
“She’s been around a big program assisting at Ruston High School, and that’s something we want to bring – that kind of mentality to take our girls up to the next level.”
Jones said the applicant list for the position was long and solid.
“But she kind of checked off all the boxes for us,” Jones said. “She’s a competitor. We’ve got a good crop of young girls. And Brandy will be great mixing our younger girls with them.
“It’s a huge hire for us, and she is who we wanted.”
