For as long as she can remember, Christian Life’s Liza Whittington has loved coaching basketball and accepting challenges that could be very rewarding in the long run.
Once again, Whittington has the opportunity to do both, accepting an assistant coaching position with the UL Ragin’ Cajuns women’s basketball team.
"I accepted the job last week," Whittington said. "I’m very excited about this opportunity and about coming back to Lafayette. I love Lafayette and I’ve always enjoyed my time there."
Whittington, who once served as the head girls basketball coach at Westminster, will join new Cajuns head coach Erroll Rogers, whom she coached against several times in high school. Rogers was Opel-ousas Catholic’s head girls basketball coach during that time.
"I’m going to really enjoy working with Erroll," Whit-tington said. "In high school, we always played against each other, but I’m happy to be joining his staff. He is so full of energy and he is always up beat. Erroll is always ready to go and I don’t think I’ve ever been around such an energetic person in my life."
According to Whittington, she’ll be joined on Rogers’ staff by Southern of Shreveport’s Paula Lee. Lee is the sister of Cajuns men’s basketball coach Robert Lee, a former Opelousas Tigers boys basketball coach.
Efforts to reach Rogers were unsuccessful.
Whittington, who is unsure what her responsibilities will be on the staff, said Lee will serve as the Cajuns’ recruiting-coordinator.
"I don’t know what my title is going to be," Whittington said. "We are scheduled to have our first meeting on Wednesday, but I know Paula is going to be the recruiting coordinator."
Once the high school basketball season ended, Whittington began preparing for next season with Christian Life, not aware she’d be asked to join a collegiate staff.
"I was very happy being a high school basketball coach," said Whittington, who helped lead Christian Life to two playoff appearances in her two years along with a Class 1A state championship in the 2005-06 season. "This wasn’t something I went out looking for, it just happened. It definitely wasn’t something I expected, but it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up."
Whittington called her opportunity with the Cajuns a dream come true.
"I love basketball," Whittington said, "and to be around basketball all day and all night is a dream job."
Whittington, who is from Tennessee, believes she is more than capable of getting the job done at ULL.
"I’ve been around girls athletics for 14 years now," Whittington said. "I know that I’m ready for this opportunity. I’m going to bring energy and life (to the program) and help keep the Cajuns going in the right direction."
