The buzz inside Kirkman Activity Center has an upbeat tone these days as Barton Community College prepares to hire Trevor Rolfs to direct their athletics program.
When the Barton Board of Trustees convenes for its annual monthly meeting on Thursday, it will vote on the recommendation of Rolfs’ appointment at 4 p.m. in the Seminar Room, F-30 of the Fine Arts Building.
Rolfs, Pratt’s men’s head basketball coach since 2004, has also been serving as the school’s assistant athletic director to Pratt AD Kurt McAfee.
Rolfs will fill the position vacated by current BCC men’s head basketball coach Craig Fletchall, who served a dual capacity until resigning his AD post shortly after the 2010-11 basketball campaign.
“I think the committee did a thorough job evaluating over 50 applicants and came up with a great selection to lead our athletic department,” Fletchall said of Rolfs.
No one is more excited to have Rolfs coming on board than Fletch.
“I have respected and competed against Trevor for a decade and I’m looking forward to being on the same team now,” Fletchall said. “I’m excited to re-funnel my energies back to basketball.”
Rolfs, a former Quivira Heights High School star athlete, went on to stand out at Barton, where he was a two-year player on nationally ranked teams (1991-93).
Rolfs, who was an all-conference player his second season at BCC, went on to play at Bethany College in Lindsborg and was a two-time All-KCAC guard, finishing as the conference’s second-leading scorer in during the 1994-1995 basketball season.
Still having athletic eligibility remaining, Rolfs joined the Swedes football team and became an all-conference wide receiver in the fall of 1995 under coach Ted Kessinger. Bethany advanced to the quarterfinals of the NAIA Football Championship that season.
After graduating from Bethany in 1996, Rolfs returned to his high school alma mater for the boys’ head coaching job at Quivira Heights and made an immediate impact in Bushton. He posted a 63-30 record over four straight winning seasons, capped by a berth in the Class 1A state tournament in 1999.
Rolfs left Quivira Heights for Lyons, where he spent two seasons, and then went on to coach at Mankato, becoming the Pike Trail League Coach of the Year.
From there, he joined the Pratt coaching staff and quickly moved up the ladder. Rolfs became Pratt’s head coach in 2004. The Beavers went on to finish third in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Western Division and won their first NJCAA Region VI championship in over 16 years. Rolfs was named Region VI Coach of the Year for 2004-2005.
Rolfs married the former Kimberly Strong of Abilene in 1995. She, too, was an all-state high school and juco all-conference basketball player. She teaches physical education and coaches volleyball at Pratt High School. The Rolfs have two kids, daughter Taylor and son Trey.