TUCSON, Arizona — "I was a gym rat, and this was my gym," said Lance LaVetter, as he stands on the Rincon University High School Basketball floor nearly four decades after playing on it as a student.
LaVetter played under his late father, Roland, who also coached future NBA player Lafayette Lever, and Pueblo High School to two state championships.
It was then on to college, first as a player at Pima and NAU, and then as a coach. A head coaching job at San Diego University was preceded by several stops as an assistant, including two with Lorenzo Romar at St. Louis and at Washington.
"We had two big runs," said LaVetter, of his time with Romar. "We had a lot of pros."
The move back to Rincon enables LaVetter to be closer to his mother.
"I was pivoting getting out of coaching and I wanted to get into a more administrative role," said LaVetter.
It also reunites him with boys basketball head coach Rich Utter, a coach he once played for. The two remain close.
"We've always been in touch," said Utter. "I guess I'm like his older brother."
"Coach Utter is family," said LaVetter. "It's really special to be back here with him. He's helped me so much on my journey."
"He brings a lot of wisdom from having gone out and coached so many different places," said Utter.
"I'm not any different than the kids walking down the hall," said LaVetter. "I was that kid. There were a lot of people who helped me through that process. And, I want to help them through that."
