Fort Collins – Moving Mountains turned out to be easier than Bruce Dick ever imagined – and more rewarding.
After 24 years as head boys basketball coach at Lakewood’s Green Mountain High School, Dick was one of three longtime coaches unceremoniously relieved of their duties in June in the wake of a district rules violation for payment of coaches.
Dick adamantly maintains his innocence in the coaching flap, although it’s not a drum he prefers to beat.
He would rather talk about his new team at Rocky Mountain, the new city rivalries, the great fans and administrators who have breathed new life into an old passion.
“I love Rocky Mountain High School,” Dick said. “I love the change. It’s been very, very good. I have terrific kids in our program. It’s a very spirited school and just a positive, positive building.
“I think all that has an effect on our players and on me.”
The Class 5A fifth-ranked Lobos are 15-2 this season and 8-0 in the Front Range League a year after getting off to a 9-8 start. Their only losses this season have come against East and Aurora Central, now the top two 5A teams in the state.
Of course, success has always been a hallmark of Dick’s teams.
With a career record of 395-144, Dick has had just two losing seasons as a head coach. He made Green Mountain a fixture at the state tournament, leading the Rams to a state title in 1992, a second-place finish in 1994 and a half-dozen Jefferson County League titles.
He would still be there today had it not been for the summer hullabaloo stemming from Dick’s work as an assistant track coach. Although not at the center of the storm, Dick was close enough to suffer damage.
Dick was giving a portion of his paycheck to another assistant who had failed to fill out the proper paperwork with the school. Dick, along with Rams football icon and track coach Don McGatlin and athletic director and wrestling coach Jim Opperman, were kicked to the coaching curb.
“It wasn’t easy, but honestly, when it happened, I was at great peace,” Dick said. “I just felt for those reasons one is better off going somewhere else.”
Rocky Mountain had a vacancy and was more than happy to add a veteran coach to a program that advanced to the 2000 state final under another prominent coach, Ken Shaw, now at Smoky Hill in Aurora.
Dick inherited a Lobos squad anchored by six athletic seniors who are tough enough to overcome their lack of height and smart enough to share the ball and the glory.
“Everyone on the team complements each other really well, and that has played a huge role in our success,” senior Trent Wahlfeldt said.
Small forward Marcus Coldiron (14.4 points a game) heads up a balanced Lobos starting five that includes Tyler House (12.7), Jacob Houghton (12.1), Wahlfeldt (11.1) and guard Shaun Gutting (7.4). Jared Houghton is averaging seven points off the bench.
Under Dick, the Lobos are trying to utilize their speed by pushing the tempo offensively, concentrating on rebounding and contesting every shot defensively.
“They’re really tough to defend because of their execution,” Monarch coach Ken Niven said of the Lobos.
The Lobos have won nine straight games after Tuesday’s victory over rival Fort Collins, which was played before an overflow and raucous crowd. It’s the type of atmosphere his players tried to prepare him for.
“We mentioned it a couple times,” Coldiron said. “He didn’t really know what was coming to him until the first time we played Poudre (on Dec. 16). It was kind of a ‘Welcome to Fort Collins’ kind of thing.”
With an estimated 2,600 fans on hand for Rocky Mountain’s first game against Fort Collins, Dick, who hopes to move to Fort Collins if a teaching job opens, said these neighborhood tilts are more electric than anything in Jeffco.
“I quickly learned how fun those city rivalries are,” Dick said. “What makes it fun is the respect. … It’s not a hate-you type rivalry. It’s just a great city rivalry.”
Recharged and motivated, Dick said he wants to keep coaching for a long time. While he would rather not move any more Mountains, he has the Lobos climbing back toward the top of 5A.
