Burnet CISD’s Kiser on his retirement
CAPTION: Roy (right) and Gina (center) spent the last 24 years living in Burnet and raising sons Derek (left), Luke and Drew Kiser. All three played basketball for their father, who is retiring as the Burnet Consolidated Independent School District boys head basketball and golf coach. He also was the head cross country coach. Courtesy photo
An end of an era happened on Burnet Consolidated School District when the announcement of a new boys basketball head coach was announced.
That meant that Roy Kiser, who has spent nearly a quarter of a century guiding the Bulldogs, was retiring.
“It’s time for a change,” he said. “I have been blessed to have coached for so long in the same place. Between (former head) coach (Rodney) McGee and I, we have 41 years as the Burnet head basketball coach. I am going to explore other opportunities but I may try to coach again in the future.”
Kiser came to Burnet Consolidated Independent School District as an assistant coach on McGee’s staff 24 years ago. He recalled seeing the opening posted on a job board at a coaches’ clinic and decided to submit his resume. From there, McGee reached out for a phone interview then went to then-athletic director Bob Shipley. The two of them and the Burnet High School principal then arranged and in-person interview with Kiser.
“I had never met coach McGee before moving to Burnet,” he said. “He was the head coach here for 19 years, 1984-2003. I am thankful to coach McGee for his mentorship and friendship. In the two years with him I learned how to run a basketball program the right way.”
He said the idea of retirement came to him some time ago, when his youngest son, Luke, made the leap from high school basketball to playing at the University of Texas at Dallas. The younger Kiser graduated in 2021.
“I started considering retirement when Luke was going to graduate, but the teams that followed were too good to walk away from,” the elder Kiser said. “I really wanted to coach this year’s group of seniors because no one expected them to win. They ended up winning 18 games and finished third in (District 24-4A. I was really proud of what they accomplished.”
That group helped Kiser compile a 138-97 district record, 361-326 overall. Kiser’s philosophy was to challenge the Bulldogs by assembling a tough pre-district schedule filled with Class 5A and 6A opponents.
He credits his assistants “who helped us succeed:” Paul Lambert, Bob Hill, Stuart Dixon, Rick Gates, Shawn Zito, AJ Irwin and Juston Weldon.
“You don’t stay in the same place for so long without the support of great athletic directors,” Kiser said. “Bob Shipley, Doyle Walker, Kurt Jones and Steve Hale have all allowed me to grow as a coach and supported me along the way.”
Kiser said “that is tough” to narrow down his three favorite memories as the Bulldogs head coach.
“Being a defensive minded coach, I will always remember the games where our kids gave great defensive effort, like holding Lampasas to only 6 points halfway through the 4th quarter in 2019 or certain players who were outsized, but held the opponents’ best players scoreless which happened regularly,” he said. “To be fair to the offensive side, I will always remember the buzzer beaters: Marcus Tyler against Lake Travis (n the early 2002), Zakk Revelle against Ingram (43-42 Feb. 6, 2009 , and Gavin Cole and Blaine Burkhalter against Liberty Hill (57-56 Jan. 20, 2017).
Two years ago, Kiser had an opening on his staff. So he followed much of the same plan that brought him to Burnet with new head coach Juston Weldon.
“I have known Juston from playing against Wimberley when he was in high school (graduating in 2009), from his college playing days at Sul Ross (University) and his coaching success at Blanco,” Kiser said. “My assistant at the time, AJ Irwin, was resigning and Juston was looking for a new job, so I actually give credit to coach Irwin for reaching out to Juston about the assistant job. Once Juston interviewed, I knew he would be a great fit here in Burnet.”
While those who work for Burnet CISD are part of the attraction to apply for a job there, Kiser said the community and how residents raise their children are reasons why so many stay as long as they do.
“From a coaching standpoint, the athletes that I found in Burnet were the kind of athletes that you could compete with,” he said. “I am thankful for all of the athletes who played or ran for me because they were coachable and were never afraid to work hard. I was also looking for a community with only one high school, because I have seen the power of the entire town pulling in one direction. Burnet has always supported all of their teams or athletes, and that attracted us to this community. We felt like this was where we wanted to raise our sons and thankfully, we didn’t have to move every other year to find that place. I didn’t get into coaching just to coach my sons, but it has been one of the highlights of my career. I have always said that they taught me more than I ever taught them.”
As for how he wants to be remembered, Kiser didn’t mention a victory or playoff run.
“I would hope that people think that I ran my program the right way, that our kids were always a tough opponent,” he said, “and that we won and lost with humility and good sportsmanship.”
