Lady Techster for life

Head coach Brooke Stoehr couldn’t hold back tears.

Not even 30 minutes after the Lady Techsters’ Conference USA semifinal loss to Middle Tennessee on Friday, Stoehr, alongside her fifth-year seniors Salma Bates and Anna Larr Roberson, took questions after their 2023-24 season ended. It started off as a typical postgame presser: assess what went right and wrong in the game, point out momentum shifts, and standout plays.

But one question got to Stoehr like none other, one that encompassed so much, how could she possibly fit into a useable soundbite?

What will you remember about Anna Larr and her five years at Louisiana Tech?

Before she answered, Stoehr sat in silence for a moment, clearly hit with the realization Friday was truly the last time she’d ever coach her hometown, fifthyear senior.

“I’m not sure we have enough time for that,” Stoehr said. “I always go back to why I chose this profession and the opportunity to watch young women grow and develop. When you get to do that with someone for five years, you don’t just get to see a physical maturation, you see an emotional, a personal development that you just don’t in a lot of areas in life. I can have conversations with these two (Bates and Roberson) that I’m going to cherish those moments with them forever. There’s nothing like going through a week and you get a text from a former player or you get a call and they just check in and they say things like, ‘ All those times you said this, I get it.’ That’s why we do what we do.”

Roberson ranks 3rd in program history in career free-throw percentage (80.9%), 17th on the all-time scoring list with 1,646 points, and 21st in career doubledoubles with 21.

In her final game for the Lady Techsters, Roberson put up 13 points, 2 rebounds, and an assist in 21 minutes of action – nearly leading Tech to an upset over the eventual CUSA champion MTSU.

In her final season, Roberson averaged 12 points per game and 5 rebounds on 50% shooting from the field in 33 games – averaging 11.7 points and 6.5 rebounds for her 138-game career.

She also put herself into the all-time scoring record books with her 44 points against Rice on Feb. 24, 2022 – the fourth most points by a Lady Techsters ever.

Roberson, a three-time All- CUSA selection, said she never took for granted playing for a prestigious program like the Lady Techsters, and her hometown team no less.

“It’s been such an honor for me over these last five years,” Roberson said. “I knew coming into it as a Ruston native that Louisiana Tech women’s basketball has such a dynasty and to me that was one of the biggest things for me and it being my hometown I wanted to play for. It’s been such a blessing and such an honor, and it’s opened up so many doors and I’m very grateful for the opportunity that I’ve had here and I’m going to miss it.”

In the summer, it was still up in the air whether Roberson would return for her fifth year after battling injuries in the 2022-23 season.

But Stoehr said like every game before and after Roberson made her decision to return, she could always count on her putting her mind fully into it and trusted her.

It’s why emotion poured out so visibly Friday. When you say goodbye to someone you’ve been with for half a decade, defining her legacy goes beyond the points and rebounds.

“I don’t think there’s enough time to adequately describe what she’s meant to our program,” Stoehr said. “ You can look at the numbers. They speak for themselves. But I’m so proud of how they represent our program and our university. I have a daughter that will be 14 soon and I ask them [Bates and Roberson] for advice on what I should be looking for and thinking about with her. I think those are invaluable moments. When my son can watch confident young women handle success and handle failure, I think there’s no greater example. I want him to see what a female leader looks like. I want that to be the norm for him. I’m just really grateful.

“Days like this are hard but when you get to do it and you get to be around people that you love, you trust, and you respect, you know that’s never going to go away. I’m really grateful she chose to play basketball and not softball,” Stoehr said with a smile, glancing over to Roberson.

“Me too,” she replied.