BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — Martin County coach Robin Newsome, a Kentucky High School Basketball Hall of Famer and one of the winningest coaches in state history, announced her retirement Tuesday after nearly 40 years of coaching basketball.

This past season, Newsome became the 15th Region’s all-time winningest girls basketball coach and finished her career with 562 victories, ranking 10th on Kentucky’s all-time girls basketball wins list.

In an emotional open letter to Martin County Schools Superintendent Larry James, Newsome reflected on the players, assistant coaches, families and community members who helped shape both her journey and the Lady Cardinals program she built at Martin County High School.

“Basketball has been far more than a game to me,” Newsome wrote. “It has been my passion, my purpose and one of the greatest blessings of my life.”

The Mountain Citizen will have more in the coming days on Coach Newsome’s remarkable career, accomplishments and lasting impact on Lady Cardinals basketball. For now, we invite you to read her heartfelt letter below and join us in thanking her for decades of dedication to the game, her players and the Martin County community.

Newsome’s letter

Dear Mr. James,

After much thought, prayer and reflection, I have decided that the time has come for me to step away from coaching basketball and officially resign from my position as head girls basketball coach at Martin County High School. I want to sincerely thank you, Superintendent James. Your encouragement, support and belief in me and our program have meant the world to me. You supported our program and allowed me to build and lead a first-class program, and I will forever be grateful.

I would also like to thank the Martin County High School administration and the Martin County Board of Education for their support, trust and friendship throughout my career. I have been deeply honored to represent Martin County and the community that I love so dearly. To coach and remain true to the place I call home has meant more to me than words can fully express. The relationships and memories built over these many years will remain in my heart forever.

This decision has not come easily. After almost 40 years of coaching and a lifetime connected to the game of basketball, I step away with a heart filled with gratitude, pride, and love for everyone who has been part of this journey. Basketball has been far more than a game to me. It has been my passion, my purpose, and one of the greatest blessings of my life. It became a part of life for my family.

First and foremost, I want to thank God for guiding me down this path. He blessed me with a career doing something I truly love—playing and coaching the game of basketball. Through every season, every victory and disappointment, every challenge and triumph, God gave me the strength, passion, and purpose to continue doing what was in my heart. I have truly been blessed. Coaching has given me the opportunity to work with generations of incredible young people and families, and I will forever be grateful for every player, every practice, every bus ride, every victory, and even every difficult loss that helped shape this journey.

To my husband, my two daughters and my sisters, Joan and Nanny, I sincerely thank you for the unwavering love, patience, and support you have given me throughout this journey. Coaching demanded long hours, missed holidays, weekends away and countless sacrifices, and none of it would have been possible without you standing beside me every step of the way. You celebrated the victories, helped me through the difficult seasons, and always reminded me what truly matters. Thank you for sharing this journey with me. I will always be grateful for your love and support.

To my daughter, Boo, whom I have been blessed to have by my side as my assistant coach for the past five years, thank you. You have stood beside me through so many years of this journey and have put up with more than anyone probably should have. The time we spent together was never just about coaching—it was about being together. I have watched you give so much of yourself to help me and support this program, and I honestly do not know how I could have made it through these last few years without you. Through all the stress, long nights, road trips, celebrations and heartbreaks, you never stopped showing up for me, our players and this program. You have been the definition of a true servant—always willing to do whatever needed to be done without asking for recognition or praise.

Great players make great Coaches. I’ve sure been blessed with the best. To all my players, past and present, thank you for allowing me the privilege of being your coach. You gave me so much more than I could have ever given you. Watching you grow not only as athletes but also as young women and people of character has been one of the greatest rewards of my life. I hope you know how proud I am of each of you. You will always hold a special place in my heart, and you will always be family to me. My door is always open.

To the parents, thank you for trusting me with your daughters and for supporting our program through the years. Your sacrifices, dedication and encouragement never went unnoticed.

To our loyal fans and supporters, thank you for standing beside me and our teams throughout the years. From packed gyms to long road trips and tough seasons, your love and support meant more than you will ever know. You celebrated our victories, lifted us up through defeats, and made our players feel special every single time they stepped onto the court. I will forever carry the memories of seeing our community come together to support these young ladies.

To my assistant coaches—Boo, Alli, JMan, Lance, Mark and Brittany—thank you for walking this journey with me. I have watched you all give so much of yourselves to our players and this program. I was honored to have you as my assistants.

Alli, you have been like a third daughter to me, and I love you dearly. I have watched you grow as a player in the program and a coach. I’m so very proud of you. JMan, you have been like a brother to me. Your loyalty to this program is like no other. Lance, you have been like the son I never had. I have watched you grow as a coach. You have studied the game and turned into a great player development coach. Mark, you have always been whatever we needed you to be. Brittany, you have been that quiet voice of reason that always shines through.

I have watched each of you grow as coaches and as people in so many ways. You have given your time and served as true mentors to so many Martin County kids. I cherish and embrace all the times we laughed together, cried together, grieved together, fought battles together and celebrated together. Through the long nights, tough losses, big wins and countless memories, you stood beside me every step of the way. You were more than assistant coaches; you became family. I will forever cherish the bond we shared and the memories we created together.

More important than the work you did on the basketball court, each of you proved yourself to be an outstanding person. I trusted you completely—not only with this program, but also with the young ladies who came through it every day. You cared about our players far beyond basketball and always tried to guide, encourage, and support them in the right way. Without hesitation, I would trust every one of you with my own child, and I believe Martin County has been blessed to have you pouring into the lives of our students.

I would also like to thank all of my former coaches throughout my life and career. Each of you helped shape me not only into the coach I became, but into the person I am today. The lessons, guidance, discipline, and belief you poured into me carried through every season of my career. I will forever be grateful for the example you set and the impact you made on my life.

To our trainer Karin, our bus driver Ethel, our teachers, Dr. Harless, JJ James, Chuck our AD, our managers, our janitors, our cooks, Jackie our bookkeeper, Jack—the voice of the Cardinals, our local newspaper—Brittni and the Mountain Citizen, and all of our sponsors: thank you for the many ways you supported me, our players and our program throughout the years. Your hard work, kindness and dedication often happened quietly, but you never went unnoticed. You helped make this journey meaningful and unforgettable.

Thank you all for allowing me to live out my dream for 40 years. I have accomplished every goal I set out to accomplish, except winning a State Championship. Martin County basketball will always hold a special place in my heart. I will forever be a Lady Card.

I love everybody. Be safe and God Bless.