March 13th, 2008
(photo of Roxanne Long by Drew Engelke)
SEGUIN, Texas – Roxanne Long is the new head coach for women’s basketball at Texas Lutheran University, Director of Athletics Bill Miller announced Thursday.
Long, 33, comes to TLU from Keller Central High School in Keller, Texas, where she has served as the head varsity coach for girls basketball since 2003.
“I am very excited abut the opportunity to get to the college level,” said Long. “Everyone I have met associated with Texas Lutheran has been an incredible person and exciting to be around. I just can’t wait to be a part of the university.”
TLU has an NCAA Division III athletics program. The Bulldogs play in the 15-member American Southwest Conference.
“Roxanne Long is exactly what the TLU women’s basketball needs at this point,” said Miller. “Her passion, experience and energy as a coach will serve her and our program extremely well as together we work toward becoming a competitive program in the American Southwest Conference.”
Long inherits a TLU women’s basketball program that went 0-25 in the 2007-08 season. The Bulldogs have collected one victory in the last two seasons. Long succeeds Katheryne Grahn, who resigned after two years with the Bulldogs.
“I’m very aware that a big challenge lies ahead,” said Long. “The challenge is only exciting to me. I think that one of the greatest things about athletics and sports in general is taking on a challenge and figuring out a way to rise up to the challenge. I am definitely of that mind and ready to get started.”
Long has been a head high school coach at Keller Central and at Fort Worth’s Diamond Hill High School. At Diamond Hill, Long turned around an 0-25 team and led the team to the first playoff appearance in school history. She was named the District Coach of the Year while at Diamond Hill.
Long started the basketball program at Keller Central, a brand-new high school when Long arrived at the campus. She led Keller Central to the Bi-District and Area playoffs in 2005-06 and in 2006-07, and she was named the District Coach of the Year for 2005-06. Long was a TABC Finalist for State Coach of the Year in 2006-07. Her coaching record at Keller Central was 81-47.
Long has college coaching experience from her time as an assistant coach at Oral Roberts University. She arrived at Oral Roberts after finishing a five-year career as a player for the University of Oklahoma. Long was a three-year starter for the Sooners and a team captain in her junior and senior seasons.
At Oklahoma, Long was a shooting guard. She was an Academic All Big 8 and Academic Big 12 First Team selection. She also received the Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year Award.
Long holds a master’s degree in education from Oral Roberts University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Oklahoma. Long graduated from Crescent Valley High School in Corvallis, Ore. She was the salutatorian of her high school graduating class. Long was an All-State basketball selection in Oregon and was selected as the conference MVP in high school.
Long is the daughter of Rocky and Debby Long of Albuquerque, N.M. Rocky Long is the head football coach at the University of New Mexico. Roxanne Long has one sister, Hannah, who is the head women’s volleyball coach at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.