Three county basketball coaches selected to WIBCA HOF

The Northwest Conference’s success in boys’ basketball is well documented. Seemingly each winter at least one or two Whatcom County teams have a presence in Yakima for the Hardwood Classic.

The county has seen some great athletes through the years, and what breeds strong athletes is typically strong coaching.

Three of the county’s coaches, Lynden Christian’s Roger DeBoer, Squalicum’s Dave Dickson and Lynden’s Brian Roper, can soon call themselves Hall of Famers.

DeBoer, Dickson and Roper were announced as the latest additions to the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in a press release Tuesday, Oct. 27.

Coaches Darcy Weisner (Brewster, Burlington-Edison, Shadle Park), Mike Thacker (Tonasket, Moses Lake, Freeman, Liberty), and Mike Hull (Pateros) will join the Whatcom County trio for the 41st Annual Hall of Fame banquet. Dickson, DeBoer and Roper will be honored July 28, 2016, at the Ferndale Events Center.

DeBoer has coached for 25 seasons between leading Seattle Christian and Lynden Christian. He owns a record of 434-191, which is good for a 69.4 winning percentage, according to wibca.com. DeBoer won a state championship with Seattle Christian in 2000 and another state title with Lynden Christian in 2012.

Dickson, who has coached 21 years at Oak Harbor, Bellingham and Squalicum, owns a record of 333-177, which is good for a 65.3 winning percentage. Dickson won back-to-back state championships with Squalicum in 2009 and 2010.

Roper, who has coached for 22 years at Sequim and Lynden, owns a career record of 356-171, which is good for a 67.6 winning percentage. Roper won state titles with Lynden in 2007 and again in 2012.

This story was originally published October 27, 2015 at 6:30 PM with the headline "Three county basketball coaches selected to WIBCA HOF."