Kiara Buford is one of only two women in the entire state of Minnesota to win a girls basketball state championship as a player and coach. She won two titles in Class AAAA when she was a student at St. Paul Central, and she would guide Robbinsdale Cooper to the Class AAA state championship in 2018. In between those accomplishments, Kiara was a finalist for Miss Basketball Minnesota in 2008 and scored over 1,500 points for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Although she took a hiatus from coaching to spend time raising her two children, Kiara still finds ways to stay involved, and she is one of the most respected figures in Minnesota basketball. We explore her journey that included playing alongside Angel Robinson, Ashley Ellis-Milan and Rachel Banham, as well as an extended friendly rivalry with Tayler Hill.
