While being interviewed for the volleyball coaching position at Lakeside, Rhonda Thigpen promised to bring the best to the school if she was hired.
It was a short wait to show she was serious as Thigpen brought Ole Miss head volleyball coach Steven McRoberts to Hot Springs for a camp with the Rams volleyball team at Lakeside Athletic Complex.
"I'm proud of him," she said. "I've seen him successful at every level, so I know what he does works. Even when I was at Henderson, I drove up to Tulsa and studied under him. I've got a lot of pride in somebody that is loyal, somebody that has been successful and still hasn't forgot their 'old mama.'"
McRoberts, a Harding alum, earned his master's in physical education from Henderson State in Arkadelphia, where he worked as an assistant under Thigpen. After earning his master's, McRoberts took over as head coach at Lubbock Christian, leading the Lady Chaps to a 251-82 record in his seven years at the helm.
Since then, McRoberts has compiled a career record of 557-212, a 72.4 percent win rate, including leading Ole Miss to three 22-win seasons in his four years at the school after the school was a combined 26-34 over the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
Hosting three sessions in the two-day camp, McRoberts worked on ball control and attacking with the 20 campers in Thursday's morning and afternoon sessions before stressing defense Friday morning.
The head coach of the Rebels said he was impressed with the participants.
"I was really impressed with the girls' attitudes and how hard they worked," he said. "It was a fun group."
McRoberts said he feels it is important for athletes to participate in camps such as these due to the fact they can learn something new from a coach who brings in a new perspective.
"I think when you have a coach who comes in, they come in with potentially a different philosophy than what you're used to hearing," he explained. "There's some adjustments there, and I thought that these young ladies did a good job of adjusting throughout the day on what I was asking them to do vs. what their high school coach might be asking them to do. That just goes back to having a good attitude and working hard. It definitely seemed to be a group that does that and has that."
Thigpen agreed.
"His techniques are high level," she said. "What he's telling them is what works. They work at all levels. I saw them improve just in the time that he went through the techniques with them.
"It's always good to have another set of eyes -- experienced eyes -- that have seen things differently that can come in and give you different ideas. You don't have to do everything they do, but you can always learn. If you quit learning, or they quit thinking they can learn, they're never going to get better."
This was not McRoberts' first MTXE camp with Thigpen, but it is his first opportunity to do a camp with her in over 20 years.
"This is the first time since 1995 that I've done one with her," he said. "Back when I was her graduate assistant, I worked her camps a couple of summers. After that, she did a lot of her camps, and of course then I was at a college, so I had my camps.
"I go around some. I've got some satellite camps this year in Tennessee and Mississippi and here. I don't like to do too many because I do enjoy having a few days off in the summer. My summer was already busy enough before I talked to coach Thigpen, but I wouldn't do this for anybody else."
Sports on 06/17/2018