There are just five players back from last season’s NWAACC 5th place Red Devil squad including just one starter. Yet, the mood around the 2001-2002 team is not about rebuilding, but competing. Head Coach Jim Roffler would have it no other way.
Roffler begins his second decade as the Red Devil Head Coach. He has compiled an overall record of 228-88 in 10 seasons at the helm. Roffler is the dean of Western Division coaches and his energetic style and complete grasp of X’s and O’s makes him one of the top college hoop leaders in the Northwest.
Roffler has a new staff helping out this season. Former Red Devil player Ed Earnest has served as the LCC trainer the past three seasons and he will continue to serve in that capacity while also assisting Roffler. Another former Devil, Zach McCarty gets into coaching for the first time. He was a starter on the great LCC team in 1994.
Leading the returning players is center Jay VanHook. He had a solid freshman season where he led the team in blocked shots and field goal percentage. VanHook has improved his strength and footwork and he will be a force inside for the Devils at the big forward position.
Two post players return after spending red shirt seasons last year. Jake Lipscomb is a 6-9 post out of Puyallup who continues to work on strength and conditioning. 6-4 Jason Klein out of Clatskanie has a nice touch and needs to make strides towards helping on the boards. Ben Robles is a big 6-6 strongman out of Richmond California who continues to improve as he gets back into basketball after a couple of seasons off.
The returning backcourt players are Matt “Tex” Cokley and Bobby Droz. Both saw considerable time off the bench last season and both are in the mix for starting spots and big minutes. Cokley is a pure shooter from the outside. Droz is a scrapper who has improved his ball handling against pressure. Errol Jackson is an exciting new player from Carson California. He can run, jump and plays great pressure defense. When Jackson becomes a consistent outside force, look out! Former R.A. Long star Joe Rowberry is a lefty who can fill it up and drive to the hoop. The backcourt also has two candidates from Alaska. Link Anderson and Nolan Rose will have to make the adjustment to college ball, but both are capable. Anderson could be a zone-buster this season.
New frontcourt players include two more Alaskans. Casey Campbell is a transfer from Linn-Benton who hails from Sitka and Mike Fourtner comes from Homer. Fourtner is a rugged 6-4 forwards who will help the Devils on the boards this season. Campbell is known for his soft touch. Austin Nielsen was a high-scoring star at White Salmon who will be asked to do many things along with putting the ball in the basket. Former Kelso star Chad Little has a chance to help right away and he should really flourish with added strength and experience. Nick Bamer is also in the mix for forward minutes and the former Aberdeen player should be there.
The Western Division will again be very tough with Tacoma considered a big time contender and expected solid seasons from Clark and Highline. There is not an easy game in the division as Centralia, Grays Harbor, Green River and South Puget Sound will be right there. Pierce has a new coaching staff with an influx of new talent so they also will be considered a threat to advance to the playoffs.
The Red Devils went into last season with many question marks. They answered them all with a great 5th place finish at the NWAACC Tournament. The team lost some great talent in Justin Cotrone, Lance Pitts, Tyler Baker, Jim Nettleland and Kurt Wallace. They hope the new faces including the “Alaska Pipeline” will provide similar results. Coach Roffler hopes to book another trip to the NWAACC, this time in the Tri-Cities.
Return to Home