The Barton Community College women’s basketball program will begin the search for its next head coach upon the recent resignation of Trevor Rolfs.
“While I have enjoyed this past school year as it relates to my responsibilities as both Athletic Director & Head Women’s Basketball Coach,” said Rolfs. “It has certainly been a challenge keeping up with the day-to-day responsibilities that both positions require.”
In his fifth year as Athletics Director, Rolfs stepped in to lead the women’s basketball program during this past season managing the juggling act of two high profile positions.
“While I feel I have done well in terms of maintaining a level of effectiveness in both,” Rolfs added. “I am just not a person who is comfortable with just doing well. I want to be great at what I do! If I feel I am “short changing” anyone/anything, I am not comfortable with how this may negatively affect people in my department. Therefore, I am resigning my “secondary” position of Head Women’s Basketball Coach here at Barton Community College.”
A former collegiate basketball player including donning the Cougar uniform from 1991-1993, Rolfs continued his love of basketball moving on to the coaching ranks. Spending time in the high school level, Rolfs led fellow conference member Pratt Community College men’s program for seven years before returning to his alma mater to guide the Barton athletic department.
“I love coaching basketball!” Rolfs said. “However, there are so many “things” that go into producing a quality product at this level that results in wins. Those “things” take up LOTS of time. Time that I don’t mind spending so long as it does not negatively affect my responsibilities related to being an outstanding AD and put unnecessary strain on my family. When I agreed to take on this secondary position, my main goal was to get the women’s basketball program back on solid ground and start the process of getting Barton women’s basketball back to the top of the KJCCC.”
The Lady Cougars season outlook was high with a returning core led by sharpshooter Katrina Roenfeldt and the addition of a talented group of freshman mainly coming from the metro area of Memphis, Tennessee. With one of the signees having to stay home due to family obligations, the roster shrunk again with the season ending injury to highly decorated combo guard Oreona Brown during preseason workouts. Suffering two big losses before the season began, the injury bug hit again with Roenfeldt going down in the Lady Cougars’ first scrimmage forcing the Dodge City sophomore to the bench for the first seven games of the season.
Dropping 4-of-8 from behind the arc in her first game back on the floor, Roenfeldt brought new life to the then 5-2 squad pumping in fifteen points per game. The extra surge of offensive production hit another wall just two games later as with 3:56 remaining and a two point lead over nationally ranked Iowa Western Community College, Roenfeldt’s season came to an end and the Lady Cougars went on to lose by five.
“Unfortunately, while Coach (Alan) Clark and I were very confident we had put together a team to do so, devastating season ending injuries severely affected the team’s chances for optimum success.”
Barton finished the 2015-16 season going 14-17 overall with a 6-13 mark in the rugged Jayhawk Conference.
“This certainly does not take away from all of the hard work put forth by the entire women’s basketball team throughout the season,” Rolfs said. “While I am disappointed at the results regarding our win/loss record, I couldn’t be more proud of the team and their collective efforts on and off the court!”
In addition to the five point loss to nationally ranked Iowa Western, the Lady Cougars also took an early season loss to national tournament qualifier Northern Oklahoma College-Enid losing by just points falling short on their final offensive possession.
“The girls have truly been an extraordinary group to work with,” reflected Rolfs. “Our team competed very hard, lost nine games by six points or less, and represented this institution remarkably well both socially and athletically.”
Heading into conference play at 8-3 on the season, Barton began the Jayhawk schedule with consecutive road losses before dropping its fourth late-game heartbreaker of the season in a two-point home loss to nationally ranked Cowley College. With eight conference opponents winning over 60% of their games, Barton challenged most on the schedule often faltering in the fourth quarter with a shortened bench and missing offensive firepower.
In his final remarks of his resignation, Rolfs included, “It is important now that we appoint the right person to move this program forward utilizing the plan currently in place and once again see our women’s basketball program competing for conference championships.”
With Roenfeldt granted a medical redshirt year and returning for another sophomore season, Barton also brings back four other players averaging over seven points per game including glass eater Megan Jirak‘s 9.3 rebounds per game. Joining Brown for her inaugural collegiate season will be an already signed class of in-state and out-of-state standout players. More information regarding the 2016 signing class will be released soon.
