Whatcom County Hall of Fame basketball coach won’t return next season
Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame coach Roger DeBoer will not return as the head coach of the Lynden Christian boys basketball team for the 2020-21 season, the school announced.
“We are grateful for the time, energy, and passion he has given to his players, teams and Lynden Christian during his 11 years at LC,” athletic director Brenda Terpstra said in news release about the decision Friday, April 3. No reason for the decision was included in the release.
In a tweet, DeBoer said he was let go by the school’s administration. By 11 a.m. Friday, his tweet had 86 comments, 14 retweets and 255 likes.
“It is not what I had planned, but it is what God has planned,” DeBoer wrote in the tweet posted Wednesday evening. “Thank you to my assistants and former players. It has been all for Him. Love you all.”
In 300 games leading the Lyncs, DeBoer posted a 233-67 record (77.6% win percentage), and his only losing season was his first in 2009-10, when LC went 11-12, according to information compiled from NWCathletics.com.
The Whatcom County legend known for wearing his heart on his sleeve while on the bench guided the Lyncs to the Class 1A state tournament nine times, winning state titles in 2012 and 2018 and finishing runner up in 2015 and 2020, according to WIAA.com.
Before coming to Lynden Christian, DeBoer coached at Seattle Christian for 19 seasons, leading the Warriors to the state title game five times in six years and a state title in 2000.
DeBoer also attended Lynden Christian, helping lead the Lyncs to the 1982 Class 1A state title his senior season.
“You don’t hear a whole lot of home-boy-comes-home stories that are successful,” DeBoer told The Bellingham Herald before he was inducted into the state basketball coaches’ Hall of Fame in 2016. “I thought it would be difficult for me to return. The Lynden Christian job, it was one I never thought I’d find attractive. But God called me into it, and I credit Him for making me apply.”
