PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast women's basketball coach Hope Adams has filled her assistant coaching vacancy by hiring Ronneka Robertson, who brings an array of important experience.

She's played Division I basketball, been head coach at the high school level and an assistant in the MACCC. Now she's going to put all those lessons learned to use in helping guide the Bulldogs.

"My strength is being able to relate to the players because I've been where they're trying to get," she said. "I think I can help them in that situation to where they don't make the mistakes I've seen made and so they have better opportunities for themselves."

Former assistant coach Jonathan Williams is now the boys head basketball coach at Stone High.

Adams was impressed during the interview process and is even more convinced she found the right person to take the chair next to her on the bench this winter.

"It's her energy, and her excitement to be part of the program," Adams said. "She's been here a couple of weeks now, and how she relates to the girls and is always trying to find a way to make my job easy and to help the girls is great. She's very hands-on and very proactive. Her future is very bright, and I feel like we really got a steal in Ronneka. She's going to add a lot to this program."

The Louisiana native spent the last four seasons as head coach at Kentwood High Magnet School, her alma mater. It was her second stint as head coach there, broken up by a year as an assistant at East Central Community College. She has also served as a coach for several travel teams since 2014.

Robertson played in all but four games during her South Alabama career and was a team captain her last year in Mobile. She was the leading rebounder as a junior and senior, averaging 7.8 boards per game. She started 47 of the Jaguars' 58 games in that stretch, and she was named to the All-Sun Belt Fourth Team by College Sports Madness.

Robertson earned a spot on the Sun Belt Conference Academic Honor Roll and won the Jaguar Women's Basketball NCAA Award in 2012-13. The NCAA acronym stands for No Excuses, Compete, Accountability and Arete (the Greek word for Excellence).

Robertson learned important things during the interview process and in the intervening weeks, as well.

"After talking with Coach Hope, her energy and plans for the future here became contagious and made me want to be a part of something special," she said. "We want to help kids better themselves to get to that next level."

For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.

BY Don Hammack
Sports Information Director
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College