Khoria Newman, newly appointed head girls’ basketball coach at MacArthur High School, is a native of Oklahoma City but calls Irving home. After moving around in her youth, Newman’s family settled in Irving the summer before her freshman year of high school. Newman attended MacArthur High School, where she was heavily involved in sports. She ran track and played on the girls’ basketball team, under the direction of legendary Coach Suzie Oelschlegel, whom she succeeds as head coach.
“For me, Mac is home, and I always dreamt of coming back to serve as head coach,” says Newman. “Now I can give back to the community that shaped who I am today.”
Newman speaks highly of her experience as a student at MacArthur and says her most memorable moments took place there.
“The relationships I built in high school were one of the most special parts,” she adds. “I made lifelong friends here.”
She also shared many memorable moments as a member of the girls’ basketball team, including winning the state championship in 2011. Newman credits the outgoing coach, affectionately known as Coach O, as being one of her inspirations on and off the court. When Newman thinks about the mark she wants to leave as a coach, she reflects on Coach O’s legacy and hopes to be remembered highly as well.
“Coach O instilled a lot of values in me that I carry on and off the court,” Newman says. “She taught me how to be a winner, inspired me to be great and to pursue anything I want to do.”
Someone else Newman considers a huge inspiration is her mother, who has taught special education at MacArthur for 10 years. Her mother was a basketball player in her youth, earning the title ‘Miss Basketball’ in Oklahoma, and she was the first person to introduce the sport to Newman.
“I began playing at 5 years old, but it wasn’t until 7th grade that I realized this is what I wanted to do with my life,” says Newman. “I have a true love and passion for basketball.”
After graduating from MacArthur High School in 2012, Newman attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham and played on the girls’ basketball team for two years before sustaining an injury. Due to that, she was unable to play. However her work didn’t stop there. For the remainder of her college career, Newman served as a game commentator and student coach. It was during this time that she realized coaching was her calling.
Prior to making her return to MacArthur, Newman served as the head girls’ basketball coach at Naaman Forest High School in Garland during the 2020-2021 school year. Before that, she served as Coach O’s varsity assistant coach for three years.
When speaking about the future and upcoming basketball season, Newman says she’s excited, thanks to the love and support she has received from the community.
“I’m excited to get out there with my team so they can showcase their hard work,” Newman says.
