Patti Roberts faced major surgery and treatment for cancer in 2011. She remembers her former coach, Brent Kell, calling to offer encouragement.
“I was so emotional that I don’t think I said anything intelligible,” Roberts said. “But he just kept talking. He gave me the pep talk of my life. He knew I was strong enough to make it through the surgery and treatment. He believed in me. I already had the love and support of my friends and family. But this was my coach.
“He’ll always be my coach.”
Stories like that one from Roberts –– who was Patti Wright when she played for the Lady Tigers from 1987-’91 and set the program scoring record that still stands –– prevailed as Kell was honored last Monday night. Players representing every team from Kell’s 30 years at Houston High School returned to their alma mater to honor their coach.
It was an admittedly emotional night for Kell, who announced his retirement in January. He was still reeling from a tough loss to Salem that knocked HHS from first place in the South Central Association when he walked out of the locker room to be surprised by former players and coaches who had gathered for him.
“It was a real surprise. I really don’t know what to say,” Kell said. “It’s pretty overwhelming to think about the number of girls that came back.”
Roberts and Heather (Ragsdale) Lobough coordinated the effort via a secret group on social media to bring back 50 former players and five assistant coaches to Houston to honor Kell. With the help of his wife, Audrey, they ordered 98 T-shirts featuring the years every person played for or coached with Kell on the back.
Forming a semi-circle with Kell seated in the middle, many of the players shared personal stories and thank yous with Kell and the crowd still remaining inside Hiett Gymnasium.
“Coach Kell always pushed me to give more than I thought possible,” Loran (Ichord) Richardson said. “He believed in us even when we were down and encouraged us to strive for excellence. I appreciate all he did for me over the years.”
Stories his former players shared ranged from serious to seriously funny. The one that drew the biggest laugh came from one team’s summer trip to camp in Bolivar. The girls convinced Kell to stop at the mall to eat on the way home. Kell was driving and asked for assistance while backing up in the parking lot.
“I looked over my shoulder and said, ‘Guys are there any cars behind us?’” Kell recalled. “Amy Boaz said, ‘No, there are no cars behind us.’”
He slowly backed up and hit a light pole.
“I whirled around and was ticked,” Kell said. “I said, ‘I thought you said there was nothing behind us.’ She said, ‘No, you said are there any cars?’ I couldn’t say anything because that’s what I asked.”
Twin sisters Trezha and Lexie Malam played for Kell through the 2003-’07 seasons. Lexie made the reunion while Trezha, who lives in Colorado, watched online.
“The impact he had on my life is immeasurable,” Lexie Malam said. “He is more than just coach to me, and I am forever grateful.”
Trezha Malam still remembers a funny moment game her sophomore season against Cabool in the Mountain Grove Tournament. She said the Lady Tigers were easily winning and had been instructed to run offense and not run up the score. So when she stole the ball from the point guard and had no one in front of her, she dribbled to the basket and back to the top of the key to wait for the rest of the players to make it down the court.
“He called a timeout so fast and screamed at me saying, ‘I didn’t mean to make it that obvious! If there’s no one to guard you, shoot a layup!’” Trezha recalled. “Of course the team laughed, coach laughed after that and I was the underclassmen just wondering why I got in trouble for doing what coach said. The moral of the story was coach required us to be humble and disciplined all while still having fun.”
Kell, who has 423 career victories with three regular-season games and districts remaining, will retire as the winningest coach in HHS sports history. But he said moments like the ones he shared with his former players during the tribute are the ones that define his career.
“You want to win ballgames, but there is a bigger impact. You hope you can impart some knowledge or wisdom that will help them at some point in their life,” he said. “The memories you make are special. We’ve won some ballgames. But it’s special to see them come back. They had other things they could be doing, so it means a lot.”
Brent Kell reads a canvas painted by his daughter, Haylee, that he received as a gift from his former players.