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Fmr. Gopher Women's Basketball Coach Finds Home At Macalester

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – It might be on a different campus, on a different level, but it's still a basketball court in Minnesota.

And Kelly Roysland is in her element.

She starred for the Gophers and then coached them the last four years as an assistant to Pam Borton.

After Borton was fired this spring, Roysland said packing up and leaving Minnesota to start over elsewhere just wasn't appealing.

Luckily, she didn't have to look very far for a new job. Just to Macalester.

"I did have some other opportunities that I explored," Roysland said. "I really value a lot of things in life, outside of just growing professionally. And that is very important to me, but this offered me the opportunity to be a head coach."

A head coach for the first time.

That's a different challenge in itself.

The start of the season is still weeks away, but Roysland is running her own practices and her own program now.

And that's exciting.

"I'm pretty detail-oriented and specific about how we're going to do things," she said. "But I know that the kids feel like I have their best interest, that I'm here to make them better."

There might be some differences between Division I and Division III, but Roysland is still the same coach. And will bring the same coaching attitude to Macalester.

"I want kids to have a great experience," she said. "They will learn something from me. My philosophy is that if we can focus on the little things, improve each day, celebrate daily successes, then I think the big picture things will take care of themselves. And winning will take place here."

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