Chaparral didn’t have to look far to find its next girls basketball head coach, and a new chapter in the Lady Bobcats’ budding story is beginning.
Killeen ISD and executive director for athletics Latisha Williams announced Monday that Jennifer Graham, a Killeen High graduate and former coach at her alma mater, has been hired to take over the Chaparral program.
“Coach Graham brings experience and a heart for this community to Chaparral,” Williams said. “She is a hard-worker who will have high expectations for the program. We are excited to have her.”
Graham returns to the coaching ranks after serving as an assistant principal at Killeen High during the 2023-2024 school year. She said her time spent in that administrative role added another level of experience, a helpful perspective and also renewed her passion for coaching. Graham said she is “excited to bring my leadership and strategic expertise back to the court and begin paving a path of success for the student-athletes on and off the court.”
The Lady Bobcats, entering their third year as a program, are coming off a scintillating 2023-2024 season during which they went 13-1 in District 22-5A (28-7 overall) to claim the school’s first team title, won three playoff games and became the first KISD girls basketball team to reach the regional tournament since 2015-2016.
Graham was an assistant for Killeen High during that 2015-2016 season when the Lady Roos won 33 games under the watch of then-coach Latisha Williams. Graham took over the head coaching position at KHS the following season, guiding the Lady Roos for seven years, an impactful tenure that included 105 victories, one district title (2016-2017) and a second-round playoff appearance in 2022-2023, among other highlights.
After graduating from Killeen High, Graham earned her bachelor of arts degree in criminal justice at UT-San Antonio and a master’s degree from Texas A&M-Central Texas in educational administration.
“I am truly blessed to be able to have this opportunity to lead such an amazing group of young ladies, who have done something few in the area have done in such little time,” Graham added. “Being able to watch them perform at such a high level this last year, I am more than thrilled to lead them. The Chaparral community is like no other. I am excited to get to work.”