On a Roo Blue Friday, Swinney Center simmered with spirit as campus leaders, alumni, faculty, staff and students welcomed back the incoming º£½ÇÂÛ̳ women’s basketball head coach, Candi Whitaker.
In 2006, Whitaker became a first-time head coach of the Kansas City Roos, at the age of 26. She led the team for six seasons. Today, 20 years later, º£½ÇÂÛ̳ heralded Whitaker’s triumphant return in a celebratory pep rally complete with the university’s mascot KC Roo, the Mob Pep Band and Roo blue and gold balloons and confetti.
"We put a premium on mentoring and developing our players," Whitaker said. "We believe in Kansas City, and we're the city's team. We're creating a winning culture for the university and Kansas City."
Whitaker brings with her a new coaching staff: former NAIA Coach of the Year Jon Lewis, former Roos assistant coach Sandra Abston and Kansas City native Chayla Cheadle. Whitaker comes back to Kansas City as the third-winningest coach in program history, tallying 41 wins during her first tenure with the Roos. Since 2012, she has spent time as the head coach at Texas Tech, Missouri Western State and North Alabama. During her time at Missouri Western State she qualified to the 2022 Elite Eight and was named the 2024 MIAA Coach of the Year.
“When someone chooses to return, it tells you this place still matters,” Chancellor Mauli Agrawal said at the event. “It tells you there is more to do — and a belief in what this program can become. Coach Whitaker has built a remarkable career. She has led teams to post-season success and developed student-athletes who succeed on the court and beyond it. And just as importantly, she knows what it takes to win.”
Agrawal presented Whitaker with a Disney-drawn print of the º£½ÇÂÛ̳ kangaroo mascot. Kathy Nelson, president and CEO of the Greater Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation and Visit KC, presented Whitaker with a silver Roo brooch designed by renowned jewelry artist and Kansas City native Robyn Nichols.
“As one of Kansas City’s top cheerleaders for sports, I’m excited to see Candi Whitaker added to º£½ÇÂÛ̳’s roster,” Nelson said. “With the March announcement of Coach Turgeon and today’s welcome for Candi Whitaker, we’re ushering in a new season of excellence in º£½ÇÂÛ̳ basketball. And when º£½ÇÂÛ̳ wins, the whole city wins.”
Whitaker recruited and mentored Eilise O'Connor (BHS '14, DDS '18), NCAA Division I Academic All-American and former Roos women's basketball player and captain, who returned and spoke at the event.
"I can tell you, firsthand, she's the perfect person in this job," O'Connor said. "Not just the perfect coach, but the perfect person. A good coach can change a game, but a great coach change a life."
Brandon Martin, vice chancellor and director of athletics, may not have been at º£½ÇÂÛ̳ for Whitaker's first stint with the Roos, but he knew that, two decades later, she was still the right person for the job.
"Candi has coached at the highest levels," Martin said. "She's a teacher, a mentor, a leader, a champion and she has left an indelible mark everywhere she's been. Candi is passionate about º£½ÇÂÛ̳ and Kansas City and I'm excited about the future of our Roos and what Candi has in store for our program."
The Big Leap
Take the Big Leap with us and support the Roos! With new head coaches Candi Whitaker and Mark Turgeon, it's a new era for Kansas City basketball. .