Success Story: Coach Otis Robinson Jr. has made most of career, leading Wossman to three consecutive state titles
by: William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
Otis Robinson Jr. learned that the principles he picked up on the football field for both Wossman High and UL-Monroe directly correlated to his normal life.
He was expected to be on time for practice, follow his coach’s orders, and not ignore the slightest of details.
Four years ago, when Robinson, after a six-year stint as an assistant coach at his alma mater, moved over to the head coach’s chair, he emphasized the same self-driven philosophy with his girls’ basketball players that had such an impact on his athletic career.
“I tell them playing basketball is like life,” Robinson said. “You take the sport and carry it over to your everyday life such as being on time for practice, doing what the coaches ask you to do and when you get tired, you have to do the little things. If you continue to do the small things you will continue to succeed in what you’re trying to do.
“You also have to be able to accept constructive criticism,” Robinson said. “The girls take the criticism when I’m talking to them. I’m straightforward with them. The way we’re going to do it is the way I asked you. If you can’t do it that way, I’m not afraid to tell them you may want to go play for another coach. I wish you well and won’t stop you from playing either.”
Wossman, which claimed the 1994 state championship, hasn’t been the same since Robinson’s taken over the program.
The Lady Wildcats are now seen in a different light, one that’s reserved for the state’s elite programs, which they become.
When top-seeded Wossman (23-3) begins play Monday at 6 p.m. in the Division II non-select state playoffs against Rayne, the Lady Wildcats are looking to extend a string of consecutive state championships to four. They capped the 2023-24 season with a 29-4 record that featured a 63-22 demolition of South Beauregard for their third straight crown.
“We don’t just want to stop with three, we want to continue,” said Robinson, whose team has won their last seven games.
Once again Wossman’s a reflection of Robinson’s ideals.
The Lady Wildcats’ roster features nine upperclassmen led by a five-member senior class that provides valuable leadership for the team.
Senior guard/forward Ramiah Augurson has already signed with Southern Mississippi, but Robinson champions a well-balanced team with five players – including Augurson – averaging between 12.5-8.2 points.
Where there’s no area for discussion, though, is on the defensive end where Robinson, a former linebacker, emphasizes man-to-man defense and full-court pressing, helping to lead to easy points off turnovers.
“I teach the kids when they come in, it’s not just one person on the team. I’m not that coach. I may have someone who can handle the ball, a star point guard that can shoot the ball. I’m not just going to draw up plays for two players. I want the whole (group) to be involved.
“We like to score on turnovers and get transition points,” Robinson said. “Can we run offensive sets? We have them in case we need them because we have some games we have to stop and slow down and use them to make sure we win the game. We thrive on defense and pressure and up-tempo (style).”
Immediate impact
Robinson assisted two different head coaches at Wossman before getting his opportunity to become a head coach for the ’21-22 season.
The Lady Wildcats suffered through a third straight losing season with a 7-13 record and had made one playoff appearance and lost in the first round in 2018 before Robinson took over.
“The girls knew my philosophy, knew who I was and what I stood for,” Robinson said. “To become the head coach, I was able to implement some things. It was an easy transition for me. Having graduated from Wossman, the parents knew who I was, and trusted and believed in me, and let me coach the way that I coached.”
Robinson formulated a vision for his program and put into effect what offenses and defenses he wanted to run after years of watching what worked and failed during his time as an assistant.
He guided one of the state’s best turnaround stories, leading the Lady Wildcats to a 28-5 record and Class 3A state title with a 57-40 victory over Madison Prep in his first season.
“It was a culture change and there were some things I was able to implement that I couldn’t do as an assistant,” Robinson said. “I knew with the girls we had that we could do it. Other head coaches have their own philosophy and how they want to do things.
“As an assistant, you take that and try and make that work the best way you can,” Robinson said “I’m not the kind of coach to deviate from what the head coach is saying. I may throw out some ideas and if they accept it, they do or they don’t.”
But a state championship in his first season as a head coach? Not even Robinson could predict such a fairytale.
“I wasn’t expecting to win it the first year,” said Robinson, the Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s Class 3A Coach of the Year. “Then my wife and other people said we would win it in Year 2.”
They did.
Wossman’s level of dominance increased with a 31-2 record – with losses to only state champions Parkway and Lafayette Christian Academy by a total of 14 points. That included a 63-43 triumph over Albany for the Division II non-select state title.
The Lady Wildcats (29-4) extended that streak to three straight titles last season with an impressive 41-point victory in the title game.
The team’s statewide notoriety included the annual listing of players on the LSWA’s All-State teams with Da’Naya Ross earning first-team status three years in a two. She was joined for the second straight year by Anyra Wilson, a first-team choice on the ’23 team, and honorable mention pick along with Brittany Burton last season.
Challenging schedule brings out best in team
Wossman won 15 of its first 16 games this season, dropping a four-point game to the two-time Division I state champion Parkway. Less than a month later, the Lady Wildcats returned the favor with a 41-31 road win over the Lady Panthers.
Robinson maintained his scheduling philosophy by finding a game with state power Lafayette Christian which resulted in a two-point loss.
“I try to play them every year,” Robinson said of LCA. “If we’re in the same tournament I want to make sure we’re going to play them.”
Two weeks later Wossman, which opened the season with a 68-52 win over Division I select semifinalist Huntington, suffered its biggest setback of the season loss against the Lady Raiders, 69-58.
The Lady Wildcats haven’t lost again.
“Through those three losses we learned a lot and helped us to continue to build on the success because we were able to work on some things we needed to work on,” Robinson said. “They realized there were some things that hurt them, and I felt it was a turning point. That they were ready and then we lost to Huntington in overtime. We had to keep fighting, keep grinding. You can’t win them all. As long as you’re doing what you’re supposed to do to win a game, I’m satisfied.”
Wossman’s schedule included two games with Parkway and Huntington – teams they wound up splitting games with – along with wins over defending state champions John Curtis (Division I select) and Southern Lab (Division IV select) – and two Division I non-select teams ranked in the top 10 in Natchitoches Central and Zachary.
“We want to play tough teams and not teams you think you can beat,” Robinson said. “You want to play teams that can either compete with you or beat you. You want to challenge them so they can make corrections on their own. I always play the tough teams to make sure we don’t get complacent or get the big head.”
The early tests helped result in Wossman’s run to an undefeated District 2-4A championship. The Lady Wildcats, who are 29-0 in district under Robinson, had a 38.8 average margin of victory in league play.
“It gives me a chance to get the girls on the bench some experience so when they get into a game, they’ll really know what to do and not throw the ball away,” Robinson said.
Giving full attention to next opponent
This year’s team is another tribute to Robinson’s template for success.
Wilson and Augurson, who have played since their freshman season, are the team’s top two scorers at 12.3 and 11.5 points, respectively. Wilson is also tops on the team in assists with 3.3 per outing.
“They both showed a lot of poise as freshmen,” Robinson said. “Anyra was an off-guard that came to be a point guard the last three years. She can shoot and is very athletic and Ramiah is also athletic and can jump out of the gym.”
Taylar Wright, a sophomore guard/forward, and Ashanti Smith, a junior guard, are the next wave of Wossman’s scorers at 9.1 and 8.8 points with Wright the team’s second-leading rebounder at 5.9 and Smith second in assists with 2.4 per outing.
Sophomore forward MaKaiya Johnson (3.1 points, 2.7 rebounds) and freshman guard/forward Heaven Weeks, a nationally ranked prospect who’s converted from guard to center, (8.2 points, 5.5 rebounds) provide plenty of production along with junior guard Krysten Lewis and senior guards Andrea Scott and Mondrecia Wilson.
“It’s blended well to when coaches watch film on us, they have to figure out who they’re going to guard,” Robinson said. “When you have five on the floor with the averages they have, you really don’t know which way to look. They can all put the ball on the floor because we work on ball-handling every day in practice.”
Wossman’s been a player-led program. It’s common that after a 90-minute practice, players will remain afterward and continue working on their game, getting additional shots up at the goal.
In fact, some players have gone to such measures as to call Robinson to come open the gym when they’re looking to put in extra time to perfect their craft.
“I don’t have to tell them to get into the gym and shoot,” he said. “They’re working on their game. They’re on a mission. They’ve been doing it since their freshman year.”
Wossman enters the third part of its season after the non-district and district portions proved fruitful.
Not only have the Lady Wildcats won the last three state championships, but they’ve also won their last 13 playoff games which began with a 79-19 blowout of St. Martinville in 2022. That was also the year where they encountered their closest game – a 65-59 semifinal win over Albany.
“I’m always emphasizing one game at a time right now,” Robinson said. “You have to play one game at a time, no matter who it is because on any given day something can happen. A team can come in and take your dream away. You’re always going to have to prepare like any team you’re playing is better than you.
“Whether we’ve played a team in the past and beaten them, they have film on us and have had time to practice and develop a game plan to go against us,” Robinson said. “We want to make sure we’re doing what we’re supposed to do and not underestimating the team we’re about to play.”