New Goodrich Athletic Director Cordell Carter will have a familiar face as his girls coach. Leading the Lady Hornets will be Cieara Roberts, who coached with Carter at Galveston Ball.
"All of my teaching and coaching career has been in Galveston. I was at Galveston Ball and that is where coach knows me from," Roberts said. "I have been coaching over there for three years now and coached a little bit of everything — basketball, track, volleyball, tennis, and I assisted with swim for a little while."
Roberts attended Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma, which is next to Oklahoma City. There, she was a basketball and track star. She still holds three records in track and was part of the all-defensive team in basketball. She was a sprinter, running the 100 meters, 200 meters and relays. Her records are in the 4x400 relay, 4x200 relay, and the 200 meters, where she ran a 25.3.
"I was originally raised in foster care in Texas. One of the best foster homes I was ever a part of, I was in Paris, Texas. It's a lot like Livingston and Goodrich,” Roberts said. “It is a small town and not a lot of people, but they are really rich in basketball and sports culture. I really thought that I could come here and make a change and make an impact. I want to get these girls a good shot at going to state.
"To be honest, I haven't seen the girls yet. I know we didn't graduate many seniors last year. I do know that it is a young team, and we just had our first camp for the middle school. If the high school is any reflection of the middle school, I genuinely feel like I'm in good hands. We're going to be solid. We're going to play pretty fast with a lot of man (defense) and gritty. These kids are workhorses."
The coach said she is excited to bring back the kind of experience the Lady Hornets should have once the season tips. Only one senior was lost from a bi-district playoff team.
"Anybody with any sort of experience in the game and knowledge to talk with her teammates (will help). I am going to be really big on talking and communication, that is my No. 1," Roberts said. I think the girls will fall in line pretty quickly and I don't think it's going to be anything too drastically different. I'm going to play within their system and I'm not going to ask anyone to do anything that they are incapable of doing or put them in a bad spot. I'm for the team and I'm for the progress of this program, so whatever makes us better, that is what we are going to do.
"It will be a quick, simple playbook and they won't have too much to worry about. We're going to focus on defense, and the offense will be a lot of transition layups and buckets. We will try to get fouls and we're going to be the aggressors and the ones dominating the floor and pace of the game."
Roberts is full of energy, saying she's still not too far off that record-breaking speed from college. The coach joked that some of the music her junior high athletes are listening to now is something she can relate to, even joining in on TikTok dancing with some of the kids. She is also ready to get to work building the program.
"We are having camps every single day, so hopefully we get a lot of kids coming to get eyes on them. It is a basic strength and conditioning program. Our first step is to make sure that we are establishing proper fundamentals, whether that is for track, basketball, volleyball or whatever sport they want to do. They can come in the summer and get whatever workout they need to, and then the second hour is skill specific. The first hour is just targeted toward overall fitness."
After a quick detour, it was her love of sports that got Roberts into coaching. Along with athletics, she will also instruct physical education in the district.
"I was a police officer for a few years, and I realized with all the paperwork, it wasn't something I wanted to do. Being in the school district and teaching with the kids, I realized that I love kids and I love sports, so let's coach and put it all together."
