Rick Dessing joins the L-C coaching staff for the 2005-06 season.  The former head men’s basketball coach at Montana Tech in Butte, MT, compiled a 260-244 record during his 16 years at the helm (1985-2001), and led the program to its only two appearances in the NAIA National Tournament. His teams won seven Frontier Conference championships while producing 15 Academic All-Americans. He also compiled the best win-loss record 158-127, and Conference tournament record at 15-8, than any other Frontier Conference school during his 16-year tenure.  Dessing was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in April of 2005.

After Montana Tech, Dessing became head coach of the Magic City Snowbears of the Midwestern Basketball Association Pro League, where he led the team to a 14-8 record and a second-place finish. He then spent a year at Mohave Community College in Colorado City, Ariz. as a campus facilitator before becoming head coach and vice president of basketball operations for the Butte Bandits of the All-American Professional Basketball League, a new 10-team league that is scheduled to begin play in November of this year.

Dessing began his coaching career at Bennett High School in Marion, Indiana for five years.  His record at Bennett was 57-29 and his 1983-84 team was ranked 17^th in the state of Indiana, which happened to be one of the smallest schools in the state’s one class system.  They also set a state record that season for field goal percentage, shooting a remarkable 59.6% from the field for the season. 

Dessing is a 1979 graduate of Ball State University.  He earned a Master’s degree in Administration from the University of Wisconsin in 1985, while also serving as a graduate assistant coach and adjunct instructor at the Big Ten Conference School.

Rick and his wife Lisa have three children.  Their two sons Michael and Craig reside in Butte, MT and their daughter Haley is a senior at Clarkston High School.  Lisa also works at LCSC in the Business Department.  They reside in Clarkston, WA.

Coach Walker on Dessing:  “It’s not often that we, at this level of coaching, are able to work with an assistant with such a wealth of experience as Coach Dessing possesses.  I have known Coach Dessing for a long time, and really value his suggestions.  He is a great teacher of team defense, as well as the fundamentals of the game.  He communicates with the players well, and always has a fundamental approach to everything he does with our players.  We are very fortunate to have him in our program.”