(New Buffalo, MI) - The head boys’ varsity basketball coach at New Buffalo High School has been chosen to be the head basketball coach of the Red Arrow Raiders.

 

The Raiders are teams resulting from the merger of the sports programs at New Buffalo and River Valley high schools.  In his eight years in New Buffalo, Nate Tripp has brought home four district titles and twice advanced to the regionals.

 

Tripp expects next season to be a rebuilding year from losing a number of talented seniors especially from New Buffalo, which won the District 4 title against Eau Claire last month.

 

He does have what appears to be the makings of a solid core, though, with returning players such as Colten Lijewski and John Bradshaw from New Buffalo and Bowie Strieter of River Valley.

 

“It’s definitely going to be different.  It’s going to be exciting.  It’s going to be a challenge and I love a challenge,” Tripp said.

 

Tripp has won over 100 games since coming to New Buffalo from Arizona where he coached for one year.  Previously, he coached for a number of years in Michigan at Grand Haven, Springlake and Holton.

 

Tripp said one of the challenges will be drawing as many young people as possible into the program to find the type of talent the Raiders will have to face by moving up a class from enrollment about doubling under a merged program.

 

“We’re going to keep chasing those district titles and, hopefully, even sneak in a regional title,” he said.

 

Tripp is no stranger to rebuilding.  Practically every player on the team that made it to the regional championship game in 2022 graduated, forcing Tripp to start almost all freshmen on a squad that won just one game the following season.

 

Several of those players such as Nick Haskins, Sam Tripp and Lucas Forker were on this year’s district championship team.

 

Tripp in his usual fashion is not wasting time with plans to meet the players from River Valley  within the next week or so.  He also plans to have players on the court during the summer working on things like fundamentals so they are as ready as possible for the start of next season.

 

“I love to win.  I don’t like to lose.  I don’t like to wait.  I’m not a very patient person,” he said.

 

Tripp was chosen by a selection committee that had an equal number of members from each school district.