Roffler hits right buttons to get Devils back on top
Saturday, January 19, 2008 6:11 AM PST
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E-mail this articleIt's a video-game world. And Jim Roffler is learning to exist in it.
Roffler is the head coach of the Lower Columbia College men's basketball team. And I'm here to say, once again, that whatever they're paying the man, it isn't enough.
That's because his Red Devils are, as the great Bill Schonely used to say, red hot and rollin' after a frustratingly slow start to the 2007-08 campaign.
In fact, this was supposed to be the year that LCC slipped into the bottom half of the NWAACC Western Division standings and struggled to stay in contention for a playoff spot.
The year the rest of the NWAACC got even with the Devils for a decade of brilliance.
The year Roffler, LCC's animated sideline general, got what was coming to him.
Hasn't exactly worked out that way.
Memo to NWAACC coaches: This could be Roffler's finest coaching job ever.
LCC rides a seven-game winning streak into tonight's game against Centralia at Truman Myklebust Gym. During the stretch, the Devils are putting up 83.7 points per game and allowing 67.3, and playing the brand of basketball that has made them one of the most successful junior college programs in the Northwest.
Since losing at home to Bellevue, 78-70, on Dec. 20, the post-Christmas Devils have defeated Skagit Valley (77-60), Umpqua (95-76), Linn-Benton (77-51), Green River (81-62), Pierce (80-71), Tacoma (82-73) and Grays Harbor (94-79), which entered Wednesday's game against LCC with a 12-3 record.
The last four wins have come in the Western Division, where LCC is the lone undefeated team.
That's 7-0 overall since Santa made his rounds.
Perhaps the bearded fat man made a deal with the Devils. Or maybe Roffler left him some really good cookies on the fireplace mantel.
Early on, however, Roffler had problems even getting enough dedicated bodies together for competitive practices, at times resorting to racing up and down the court himself during scrimmages.
The Devils began the season 0-3. And for the first time in his 17-year tenure, Roffler's Devils went winless at home in the nonleague portion of their schedule.
Maybe his magic was gone. Maybe the shaggy-haired point guard who wore a Red Devils uniform in the 1980s finally found himself a batch of players he couldn't reach.
When some players discovered that LCC's workouts weren't exactly grins and guffaws, they retreated. In Roffler's world, it's all about hard work and what you, as an individual, can bring to the team.
In a video-game world? It's different. Not necessarily bad, just different.
It takes a while to reach a kid whose spare time is spent clutching a PlayStation joystick. Sometimes the first attempt doesn't work. Sometimes a coach has to try a different path, or a different map all together.
In early December, the Red Devils beat Portland Community College in a nonleague matchup at the Rose Garden. It was a few hours before the Portland Trail Blazers were scheduled to battle the Miami Heat on the same floor.
Every last Red Devil - players and coaches - possessed a free ticket to watch the NBA contest. But not everyone wanted to stay.
Some of Roffler's players preferred to return home - and play video games.
At first glance, it doesn't make sense. Any college basketball player in his right mind would gladly hand over a month's worth of meal money to watch Brandon Roy, Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade perform their craft, wouldn't they?
No. Not these days.
In a video-game world, being "interactive" is always preferable to sitting still for two hours.
Roffler, a 40-something fellow with sons of his own, has managed to mold a group of young men with varying personalities into a legitimate league title contender.
He's been patient, for sure. And it has paid off.
This team, as usual, doesn't have a star. It does have a consistent shooting threat in sophomore Josh Troyer, who leads the Devils in scoring at a modest 14 points per game. And it has a strong cast of multi-talented worker bees, including Alex King in the middle, Marice Tolliver and Toutle Lake graduate Ryan Hoff at the point, and Robert Edwards and Michael Hallin in the frontcourt.
Hallin, the former Mark Morris High standout, was plucked off the hardwood scrap heap by Roffler last season, and has developed into a consistent scorer and rebounder in his second year with the Devils. Hallin's rebirth as a basketball player - mentally, physically, emotionally - is a perfect example of a blue-collar athlete who's making a difference for his hometown college team.
These Devils have depth, too, with Isaac Jimcoily, Castle Rock grad James Gehring, Elisha Moaning and Chris Coleman making solid contributions.
Is it the most talented team Roffler has had in recent memory? Probably not.
But considering where they started, these guys are fast becoming video-game material.
Rick S. Alvord
is sports editor of The Daily News. He can be reached at
ralvord@tdn.com
or 577-2527.
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