Emporia High will be looking for a new girls basketball coach.
After 11 seasons, Carolyn Dorsey will not return as the head coach of the Lady Spartans next winter. USD 253 said in a statement Tuesday morning, that the district has decided to ‘move in a different direction.’ The district thanked Dorsey for her service to USD 253.
Dorsey said the decision was not her choice.
Dorsey said it’s frustrating for all that she has done for the Lady Spartan basketball program and the timing was not right for the decision.
Dorsey graduated from Emporia High in 2003 and played for Brandon Schneider at Emporia State from 2003-07. After graduating from Emporia State, Dorsey began her coaching career at Emporia High as an assistant boys basketball coach under Rick Bloomquist during the 2008-09 season. After one season on Bloomquist’s staff, Dorsey joined Bill Nienstedt’s staff from 2009-13 until she was named Nienstedt’s successor in 2013.
This past season, Dorsey led the Lady Spartans to their first Centennial League championship since 1997, a school-record 22 wins and a fourth-place finish at the Class 5A State Tournament, the first state placing for the Lady Spartans since 2009. Including this past season’s appearance at state, Dorsey guided the Lady Spartans to state appearances in 2015, 2022 and 2023. Dorsey was named the Centennial League Coach of the Year this past season, an accolade she’s won three times in her tenure.
Dorsey finishes her head coaching career with a record of 153-85. USD 253 said a search for a new girls basketball coach will begin immediately.
The full interview with Dorsey is listed below.
