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She Just Loved To Run

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 17, 2007

No matter the sport, she participated just to see "how fast I could run."

Tennis was her first passion, but basketball soon took over when she sprouted up in junior high.

"People were like 'you should play basketball,'" Roberts said. "I liked the teamwork aspect of it."

Compared with today's standards, Roberts was a late bloomer in basketball, not picking up the sport until eighth grade at Nichols Junior High in Biloxi, Miss. Had she known what the standard uniform was, she might have changed her mind.

"We had this one-piece leotard that was our P.E. uniform and they'd tape the number on the back of us," Roberts said. "That was our uniform and we played in them. We had maybe six games."

Roberts went on to excel at Pass Christian High School in Mississippi where she cultivated her skills and drew interest from various colleges, including a scholarship offer from LSU. Opting for a smaller school, Roberts chose Southeastern Louisiana University, arriving on the cusp of Title IX, when opportunities for women athletes really began to open up.

"I've always been coachable," Roberts said. "I know that's set the tone for everything I've achieved in my life."

Katherine Smith

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