2003-04: In his fourth season at Snohomish, Roberts guided the Panthers to the semifinals of the Class 4A state playoffs. The 23-4 Panthers lost only to teams that finished fifth or better in the state tournament. Snohomish finished 15-1 in the Western Conference North Division, going 1-1 against division co-champion and eventual state fifth-place finisher Monroe. The Panthers fell to Prairie during the regular season and again in the game to decide third and sixth places at state. The other loss came in the semifinals to eventual state-champion Roosevelt when Snohomish’s comeback bid came up just short in a 58-54 loss. The Panthers featured a balanced attack that included no All-Area or division first-team selections. Snohomish’s top two scorers were freshman Amanda Best (11.2 points per game) and sophomore Daesha Henderson (9.2). The average score in Snohomish’s 23 wins was 62-36.
Background: Roberts graduated from Snohomish in 1986 and went on to play basketball at Bellevue Community College. He graduated from Western Washington in 1991 with a degree in education. He was a member of a Lynden Christian girls team coaching staff that won Class 1A state titles in 1990, ‘91 and ‘92. After heading coaching stints of the boys teams at Bridgeport and Tahoma, he accepted a teaching position in the Snohomish School District. Roberts then learned that long-time coach Mark Albertine was retiring from coaching the girls team and eventually was named his replacement. Roberts, whose record at Snohomish is 86-21, lives in Snohomish with his wife Kiffen and daughters Annika, 5, and Katrina, 1. He teaches history at the Snohomish freshman campus. His brother, Dave Roberts, coaches the girls team at division-rival Cascade.
Comment: Roberts credited his seven assistant coaches – including three volunteers – for much of the team’s success and also praised Albertine and Snohomish’s youth basketball program. Roberts said his most difficult challenge was managing his team’s depth.
“It’s a problem I love to have,” said Roberts, who expects all of his starters and 11 of his top 12 players back next season. “I think any coach would love to have it. On some teams, it’s easy to say, ‘This is your role, this is what you do.’ On our team, we have a lot of kids that play different positions. They’re interchangeable. The egos do have to be checked at the door to have a successful basketball season. … The kids did a good job of putting team before themselves.”
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