Oregon boys basketball team continues losing streak amid allegations against pioneering HC Heather Seely-Roberts

The controversy surrounding Lincoln Cardinals coach Heather Seely-Roberts appears to be taking its toll on the team, which suffered an 88-47 loss against the Grant Generals on Tuesday.

The loss to the Generals follows a 98-46 defeat to Nelson on Jan. 3 and was the Cardinals' ninth consecutive loss this season, which began on Nov. 6 following the now-ongoing allegations against head coach Roberts.

Roberts is currently in a battle against four parents of the boys she coached after filing a legal claim against Portland Public Schools in October. This came after the four students from the school filed a tort claim against Roberts. The controversy has added an unnecessary distraction and helped derail Lincoln's season, with the school currently ranked outside Sports Illustrated National Basketball rankings.

As expected, the Columbus Explorers remain number one, with a 13-3 record, followed by Montverde Academy, who have an 8-2 record this season. IMG Academy, with an 11-2 record, is ranked third, while Prolific Prep (16-3) is fourth in the rankings. San Antonio Brennan, with a 19-2 record round up the top five.

While the Cardinals are far away from making this list, Heather Seely-Roberts will hope to get a win on the board when they take on Franklin on Thursday.

HC Heather Seely-Roberts vs. Lincoln

Controversy has been brewing in Lincoln since last year after four students accused Heather Seely-Roberts, the only female coach of a 6A boys’ varsity hoops team in Oregon, of using homophobic slurs against them and barring three from the team.

Although Lincoln investigated the claims the students made, they found no evidence suggesting that Roberts used those words, according to Lincoln Athletic Director Matt Wiles. Wiles said in a statement:

“We take reported concerns seriously and as parents of team members, we want you to know that PPS’s investigation did not find evidence of homophobic or racially discriminatory behavior within the LHS basketball program."

Despite this, Willamette Week revealed Roberts filed a legal claim against the district last October, stating that they failed to protect her from the smear campaign launched by the disgruntled parents of the children involved.

“This family appears unhappy that their student did not secure a position on the varsity basketball team and is now retaliating,” Roberts’ legal team said in the claim.

“These actions — which are not imposed on any of the male coaches — reflect unlawful disparate treatment of Heather Seely-Roberts based on her gender."

The current situation is far from ideal for both the Cardinals and Roberts, who led the Cardinals to third place in the Class 6A state tournament during the 2022–23 school year, a stark contrast to this season.