Utah Women’s Basketball Extends Head Coach Lynne Roberts
Apr 19, 2022, 11:09 AM
Head coach Lynne Roberts of the Utah Utes gives the ball to a referee as her team takes on the Oregon Ducks during the Pac-12 Conference women’s basketball tournament quarterfinals at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on March 6, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Ducks defeated the Utes 79-59. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY- Utah women’s basketball announced Tuesday morning the extension of head coach Lynne Roberts’ after their best season in 11 years. Roberts led the Utes to an improbable run in the Pac-12 Tournament, finishing second to Stanford. In the process, Utah stamped their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011.
Great news for a program on the rise 📈 #GoUtes https://t.co/YGqVTcdC2I
— Michelle Bodkin (@BodkinKSLsports) April 19, 2022
New Contract
Roberts’ new contract keeps her in Salt Lake through 2027. This is great news for a team that appears to be hitting their stride under the eighth-year coach.
While coach Roberts’ efforts took some time to form roots due to injuries, the Utes went from the bottom of the most competitive league in women’s basketball to the top in 2022. Roberts’ willingness to steadily chip away at the problems facing Utah’s women’s basketball program was noted by Athletic Director Mark Harlan in Utah’s announcement as a big reason for her extension.
“Lynne Roberts has steadily built a championship-level winning program in the most competitive women’s basketball conference in the country, and it is imperative that we reinforce support for her and her staff with this contract extension,” Harlan said. “The breakthrough success her team enjoyed in 2021-22—playing in the Pac-12 championship game and advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament—was not an overnight sensation but a reflection of the incredibly solid and healthy foundation she has established to sustain success.”
Fully Invested
Roberts’ enthusiasm to stay and continue building the women’s program was evident in Utah’s press release. With a head coach locked in for the foreseeable future, the sky is the limit for the Utes going forward.
“I love Utah, Salt Lake City, the University of Utah, and this athletic department,” Roberts said. “Beyond that, I believe in this place: the state, the community, the university, our athletics department and its leadership. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to continue to build a women’s basketball powerhouse in the Pac-12 here at the University of Utah. President Randall, Athletic Director Mark Harlan, and COO Charmelle Green – thank you for your support of women’s athletics and of our basketball program. The best is yet to come!”
