LCU basketball player Audrey Robertson upholding family tradition

Audrey Robertson's not a hundred percent sure when Lubbock Christian University basketball coach Steve Gomez first considered her a part of the Lady Chaps.

It might have been when they were sitting in a Rip Griffin Center hospitality room, Robertson was asked whether she wanted to play for LCU and emphatically said yes without hesitation.

"My dad was like, 'OK. You don't want to talk about it?' " she said. "I was like, 'No, this is where I want to go.' "

Then again, maybe the firm offer came sometime later. Robertson was well along in her senior year at Kerrville Tivy when the phone rang, and it was the LCU coach. When she hung up, she told her dad, "I'm pretty sure I just committed."

It matters little when the official offer came. Robertson was bound to jump on it at the first opportunity, whenever that was. When she finishes her LCU career next year, it will be the 10th season in a row a Robertson sister has played for the Lady Chaps. Audrey, a 5-foot-8 guard and the Lady Chaps' second-leading scorer this season, is the last of the three.

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LCU's Robertson sisters have all made an impact

Olivia Robertson played in 124 games from 2015-19, starting 94 and averaging 8.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Juliana Robertson played in 143 games from 2017-22, starting 76 and averaging 5.2 points and 4.9 rebounds. Audrey Robertson has played in 108 games, started 55 and is averaging 7.3 points and 2.9 rebounds.

They've all been key contributors, even if they weren't necessarily recruited with the same ardor. Olivia came to LCU on a full scholarship, Juliana as a walk-on, Audrey on partial scholarship.

"I feel like each thing we got kind of suited our personalities," Juliana said. "I don't know why I feel that way, but it made me and Audrey work way harder than we thought we were going to have to, and that was better for us. We couldn't settle with what we were doing, so we had to prove ourselves.

"Olivia had full confidence coming in, and Gomez had full confidence in her, but for me and Audrey, it was better for us to have to prove ourselves. It made us play better, I think."

Olivia, a 5-foot-10 forward, was a little-used freshman on LCU's 35-0 Division II national championship team in 2016. Three years later, when the Lady Chaps again won it all, Olivia was a seasoned, energetic presence and was named the most outstanding player of the D-II NCAA Tournament. She scored 24 points in the championship game.

Juliana, also a 5-10 forward, was the most-used reserve on the 2019 title team and a starter on a 23-0 team that won the Lady Chaps' third national championship in 2021.

Nearly all of Audrey's 55 starts have come the past two years. Her average of 13.3 points per game has ticked up lately. In back-to-back games in mid-January, she scored a career-high 24 points.

In a 57-56 loss Thursday to UT Tyler, Robertson scored a team-high 17, her 12th time this season in double digits and her sixth time in seven games.

Gomez called her "a tremendous investment for us over the years."

"She deserves to play this well," Juliana said. "She works the hardest of anyone I've known in the game of basketball. She just really deserves to play like this and have the confidence to do her things."

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Sister tandems and trios have been a boon for LCU coach Steve Gomez

That all three of the Robertson girls would pan out continues an LCU trend in Gomez's 21 seasons as head coach. The Hampton sisters — Jordan (2005-09), Brittany (2008-12) and Nicole (2011-16) — from Canyon were all-Americans for the Lady Chaps over a span of 11 seasons, reaching the championship game of the NAIA Tournament when Jordan was a freshman, winning the first national title when Nicole was a senior.

The Chitsey sisters — Bobbi (2015-19) and Maddi (2016-20) — from Wall were starters on the 2019 national championship team, and Maddi earned all-America recognition in 2020.

The Lady Chaps' sister acts remains alive with Audrey carrying the flag for the Robertsons.

"Obviously, a great line of players in her family," Gomez said, "and her being the last one, she brings an incredible athleticism and toughness. She's just developed over these last number of years into a great basketball player.

"She was always athletic, but she's really improved her skills. She shoots the ball great. She handles the ball, attacks well, so she's become more than just a good, athletic player. She's become a really good basketball player."

When she was pondering her future as a high-school senior, Robertson considered not playing college basketball. Perhaps going to Texas A&M. From a basketball standpoint, her prospects were, "This or nothing," she said. "LCU or bust."

But when the offer came, the decision was easy.

"It was pretty late, but I wouldn't change that for anything," she said. "I'm so glad I'm here."

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: LCU basketball player Audrey Robertson upholding family tradition