Dedication to the sport she loves has molded Edwards’ philosophy

For such a storied career in the game of basketball, one would think that Pine Prairie head coach Renotta Edwards would have dreamed of one day being on the sidelines coaching her own team.
That thought would be wrong.
Edwards, a Ville Platte High and Northwestern State University graduate, really had another path in mind during her playing days at LSU-E and with the Lady Demons; she wanted to be an occupational therapist.
“I knew that I always wanted to help people, so that is why I wanted occupational therapy as my major when I was in college,” stated Edwards. “Few people know this but Coach Dot Doulet (current Ville Platte High head coach) gave me my first coaching job. I was just out of college and she asked me to come and help her with some drills for practice. From there she hired me on as an assistant. So, I guess she is the person responsible for me getting into the coaching profession.”
Edwards took her coaching talent to the next level, leaving Ville Platte High to coach at LSU-E; a place where she played and set numerous records. For the last five seasons she has patrolled the sidelines at Pine Prairie High School, spreading her wealth of knowledge about the game to the next generation of hoops stars.
During her stint in Pine Prairie, the Lady Panther basketball team has seen a steady climb in performance. Edwards has accumulated an overall record of 54-75 (not including playoffs) and this past season her Lady Panthers finished with an overall record of 20-11 and hosted a playoff game for the first time in years. For that reason, she has earned the title of Coach of the Year in Evangeline Parish for 2018-19.
Edwards’ playing career and the lessons learned from her family has had an impact on the philosophy she exudes to her team. The way she approached the game is the way she played it from the time she was old enough to dribble a ball and shoot.
“My parents, especially my mom, always told me that if you want to be the best then you are going to have to sacrifice and put the work in,” said Edwards. “I knew from them that if you want to be special you have to do the things no one else is willing to do. Sacrificing the little things to be the best just stuck with me. That is what I try to bring to the players. I tell them all the time that in order to be special you have to sacrifice. It seems that they understand that.”
That philosophy Edwards embeds in her high school players is done on a face-to-face daily basis. It is carried on and off the court into the classroom. However, because of the logistics at Pine Prairie High School, Edwards must impart that philosophy to those players at Bayou Chicot Elementary that will one day become a Lady Panther.
“We are the only school in the parish that does not have their junior high on the same campus as the high school,” commented Edwards. “But, I do get to interact with them in different ways. Either I go and watch them play softball or I know their parents or I may have coached their older sister. They get to come watch us play. Oddly enough, their parents believe in what we are doing here. It makes it easier when the parents support you.”
Getting to the level of success that the Lady Panthers enjoyed this season has been a work in progress. After losing five seniors off of the roster two years ago, Pine Prairie struggled a bit last year, having to start fresh with some young talent.
However, according to Edwards, the core group of players this team was built around know what it takes to be winners.
“I have three players that their parents are coaches or have played ball on the college level,” stated Edwards. “So they understand what we are trying to do here. The one asset that all of them have is their humbleness. They never come in here thinking they know everything. That is so important to the team concept. It is a pleasure to coach this group, no doubt.”
With that in mind and Edwards at the helm, look out for the Lady Panthers!