Roberts adds new face, fresh ideas to Maverick athletics

Michele Roberts, the newest addition to the UNO Athletic Department, has Maverick Mojo.Roberts, the former director of basketball operations at Iowa State University, has been working in the Sapp Fieldhouse since Aug. 1. As associate athletic director and senior women's administrator, her duties include budgeting, scheduling, compliance, marketing and alumni relations.

Included in her duties is organizing the annual Diet Pepsi/UNO Women's Walk, a fundraiser for women's athletics. She is also a member of the senior administrative staff, along with Athletic Director David Miller and Senior Associate Athletic Director Tom Frette, she said.

Between the three of them - and others, such as Assistant Athletic Director Connie Clauseen - they manage the workload of running Maverick athletics, including conference and NCAA obligations as well as the daily operations of the 15 various sports programs offered by the university.

"I tell you what, Michele's been here a week and it has clearly reinforced that we made an outstanding decision," Miller said earlier this month.

Roberts said it was wonderful to be back home and able to work at UNO. She is originally an Omaha native, having previously been the coach of the Central High School women's basketball team.

"The community and the UNO family has been great," Roberts said.

She added that the university has been welcoming and that she enjoyed being able to go to a restaurant without being spotted as Coach Roberts. The college town of Ames, Iowa, home of ISU, offered a different atmosphere than the Omaha metropolitan area.

Roberts is still getting settled at UNO. As of Friday afternoon, her office still lacked a nameplate. One of the elevators in Sapp Fieldhouse also proved a challenge after the floor directory was taken down, presumably for maintenance.

Rose Shires, head volleyball coach for the Mavericks, had been serving as the interim senior women's administration since the firing of Deb Denbeck in June 2006. Roberts said Shires was still helping her learn the ropes.

"Rose had been phenomenal with helping me make this transition," Roberts said.

Denbeck's position was one of five positions lost after a $440,000 reduction in the athletic budget that resulted in a controversy that claimed the jobs of former Chancellor Nancy Belck, former Vice Chancellor for Administration Jim Buck and former Athletic Director David Herbster.

Miller said it had taken until now to find money to revive Denbeck's old post.

"You know, a lot of it was just carving out the funding for the position," Miller said. "We couldn't bring that position back without having the ability to pay for it."

So far, Roberts likes the change from her duties at ISU. She said she is enthusiastic about being on the administrative side of things and being able to work with a variety of sports, not just women's basketball.

The enthusiasm, however, is mutual with the department.

"I like her enthusiasm, her understanding of the department, the challenges we face - she has some great ideas," Miller said. "Her experiences at Iowa State and how she can bring those ideas and experiences to over here, very, very - I just am pleased and I am excited to have her on staff."

Roberts said she likes the opportunity for involvement that UNO athletics offers students. She praised the university's policies that allow students to get into games for free, a perk not offered on every campus.

Durango Days and the student booster organization The Bullpen were also cited by Roberts as examples of the opportunities to be found in Omaha.

"I really hope that students embrace The Bullpen and come out here and support their team," Roberts said. "Everyone here is just so passionate about UNO athletics. That's unique - not everywhere is like that.