Lynne Roberts (basketball)

Last updated

Lynne Roberts
Lynne Roberts (basketball).jpg
Roberts in 2019
Los Angeles Sparks
PositionHead coach
League WNBA
Personal information
Born (1975-08-28) August 28, 1975 (age 50)
Redding, California, U.S.
Career information
College Seattle Pacific (1993–1997)
Position Forward
Coaching career1997–present
Career history
As a coach:
1997–2002Seattle Pacific (asst.)
2002–2006 Chico State
2006–2015 Pacific
2015–2024 Utah
2025–present Los Angeles Sparks
Career highlights

Lynne Renee Roberts (born August 28, 1975) is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She previously served as head coach at Chico State, Pacific, and Utah. [1]

Contents

Early life and education

Roberts was born and raised in Redding, California. She attended Enterprise High School where she earned 12 varsity letters and was awarded the 1993 Northern Section Player of the Year. [2]

Roberts attended Seattle Pacific University, where she played for the Falcons. During her time with the Falcons (1993–1997), Roberts set a school record for 3-pointers made in one season at 82 and for three-point percentage in a game when she made 7 of 8 against Willamette. [3] Roberts regards her most memorable moment at college when she made the game winning 3-pointers to defeat Division I's UC Davis Aggies. [4] Roberts graduated in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in history. [5]

Coaching career

After graduating from Seattle Pacific, Roberts remained to pursue a master's degree. While pursuing her master's degree, Roberts served as a student assistant for the Falcons. Over five seasons Roberts helped lead the Falcons to a 113–31 record and five straight NCAA Division 2 appearances. [3] Roberts graduated with a master's degree in athletic administration in 2000. [2]

In 2002 Roberts was hired as the head coach for Chico State, where she coached from 2002 to 2006 and amassed an 86–31 record. The Wildcats set school records for wins in both 2005 and 2006 while finishing first place in their conference. The 2005 title was the first CCAA title in Chico State history. That same season the Wildcats advanced to the NCAA Tournament West region Championship, and in 2006 the Wildcats would make it to the D2 Final Four. [2]

In 2006 Roberts was hired as the head coach for the University of the Pacific. After a slow first few seasons, Roberts helped the Tigers post a record 27 wins in 2013. She won the Big West Conference coach of the year, and her team came to be known as the "Cardiac Kids." [6] The Tigers made a school record 3 straight post-season appearances under Roberts. Roberts subsequently had her contract extended through 2017. [7]

In March 2015, Roberts was selected as one of three WCC coaches to be named co-coach of the year. The other two were Saint Mary's Gaels coach Paul Thomas and Gonzaga Bulldogs coach Lisa Fortier. [8]

On April 20, 2015, it was announced that the University of Utah hired Roberts as their next head women's basketball coach. [9] In her first season Roberts led Utah to an 18–15 record, Utah's first winning season since 2012–13. [5]

On November 19, 2024, Roberts was announced as the new head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks. [10]

Head coaching record

College

Statistics overview
SeasonTeamOverallConferenceStandingPostseason
Chico State Wildcats (California Collegiate Athletic Association)(2002–2006)
2002–03Chico State 17–1015–72ndNCAA D-II First Round
2003–04Chico State 17–1113–91stNCAA D-II First Round
2004–05Chico State 24–616–41stNCAA D-II Sweet 16
2005–06Chico State 28–418–21stNCAA D-II Final Four
Cal State Chico:86–31 (.735)62–22 (.738)
Pacific Tigers (Big West Conference)(2006–2013)
2006–07Pacific 8–222–128th
2007–08Pacific 14–169–74th
2008–09Pacific 14–168–84th
2009–10 Pacific 6–234–128th
2010–11Pacific 9–225–11T–7th
2011–12Pacific 18-149-7T–3rd WNIT Second Round
2012–13 Pacific 27–814–41st WNIT Third Round
Pacific:96–121 (.442)51–61 (.455)
Pacific Tigers (West Coast Conference)(2013–2015)
2013–14 Pacific 18–1312–63rd WNIT First Round
2014–15 Pacific 21–1013–5T–3rd WNIT First Round
Pacific:39–23 (.629)25–11 (.694)
Utah Utes (Pac-12 Conference)(2015–2024)
2015–16 Utah 18–158–107th WNIT Third Round
2016–17 Utah 16–155–13T–9th WNIT First Round
2017–18 Utah 18–148–108th WNIT Second Round
2018–19 Utah 20–109–9T–6th
2019–20 Utah 14–176–128th
2020–21 Utah 5–164–1510th
2021–22 Utah 21–128–76th NCAA Second Round
2022–23 Utah 27–515–3T–1st NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2023–24 Utah 23–1111–7T–5th NCAA Second Round
Utah Utes (Big 12 Conference)(2024)
2024–25 Utah 3–10–0
Utah:165–116 (.587)74–86 (.463)
Total:386–291 (.570)

      National champion        Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion        Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion      Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

WNBA

Legend
Regular seasonGGames coachedWGames wonLGames lostW–L %Win–loss %
PlayoffsPGPlayoff gamesPWPlayoff winsPLPlayoff lossesPW–L %Playoff win–loss %
TeamYearGWLW–L%FinishPGPWPLPW–L%Result
Los Angeles 2025 442123.4776th in West000–Missed Playoffs
Career000–000–

References

  1. ↑ "Former Falcon Lynne Roberts Hired by Utah". SPU Athletics. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 "Pacific Coaching Profile". University of the Pacific. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Catching Up With ... Lynne Roberts". SPU Athletics. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  4. ↑ "10 questions with Lynne Roberts". Recordnet. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  5. 1 2 "Lynne Roberts". University of Utah. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Pacific Tigers Women Advance to WNIT Sweet Sixteen, Cardiac Kids Strike Again!". Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Women's Basketball Coach Lynne Roberts' Contract Extended". Pacific Newsroom. Archived from the original on April 22, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  8. ↑ "BYU's Morgan Bailey named Player of the Year; Lisa Fortier (Gonzaga), Lynne Roberts (Pacific) & Paul Thomas (Saint Mary's) share Coach of the Year honors". wccsports.com. March 3, 2015. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Lynne Roberts hired as Utah coach". ESPN. April 20, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Sparks hire Utah's Roberts as new head coach". ESPN.com. November 19, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
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