LADY RAIDERS SHOW SIGNS OF GROWTH DESPITE EARLY SEASON CHALLENGES

Three games into the 2025–26 season, women's basketball head coach Roger Parker says the Lady Raiders may not have the wins yet, but they are beginning to find their identity.

Roane State opened the year with losses to Northeast Mississippi, Shelton State, and Calhoun Community College, but Parker said the team's performance against Calhoun represented a major step forward.

"Even though it was a 30-point loss, it didn't feel like it in our locker room after the game," Parker said. "That's the first time this season we made the right reads. We've just got to clean up execution, cut down turnovers, and rebound better—but the future looks bright."

The Lady Raiders showed flashes of their future against Calhoun, winning the final two quarters after a second-quarter barrage of three-pointers by the Lady Warhawks built an insurmountable lead. Parker said his young roster—featuring 12 true freshmen—finally began to buy into the concept of "synergy on offense."

"When you have as many freshmen as we do, they're still used to high school ball and being the top player on their team," he said. "Now they're learning that at this level, it has to be done as a unit. They're starting to get it. The execution just has to follow."

Kyree Patrick's performance stood out offensively in the third game of the season. The freshman out of Northport, Alabama, led the Lady Raiders in scoring with 17 points, shooting 6-for-7 from the field.

Patrick's talent had been recognized long before she arrived in Harriman. "I actually heard about her from three opposing coaches in Alabama before I spoke with her own coach," Parker added. "That tells you what kind of respect she earned."

Parker also highlighted the addition of two dual-sport athletes to the team - Addison Roberts and Alyvia Bitterly

"It's tough because their class schedules were built around their other sport, so they miss some practice time," Parker explained. "But they're such competitors. Addison's worth the patience—she can really play."

After struggling with full-court pressure in their first two games, Parker said his team demonstrated growth against Calhoun. He credited an unusual practice adjustment for that improvement.

"I'm thankful for Cam Hamsley – our baseball coach, and our baseball redshirts," he added. "They helped us simulate pressure we just couldn't replicate before. Against Calhoun, we were pressed early, but we handled it and made them pull out of it. That was real progress."