December 14, 2019

By Fred Liggett
FredL@lstribune.net

The Broncos Fieldhouse has quite a tradition of being a fun place to catch a local high school basketball game each season. The girls teams have been a success for a number of years and last year’s boys team went all the way to the Missouri Final Four.

The Fieldhouse still looks much the same as it did during the 2018-19 season but there is one noticeable difference seen behind the home team bench. This change is due to the work of LS North Girls Basketball Coach Tricia Lillygren and her staff.

A legacy seat has been established for all Bronco home games. The seat was once where Coach Lillygren’s father sat for 23 years watching her team’s play. Her father would bring a stadium seat to games with a quote on the front and a name on the back.

Lillygren’s father passed away last season and at the end of the year banquet she was touched as her coaching staff and players decided to honor him. A list of people is being compiled by the coaching staff to honor at games this season. They are currently working on the schedule and going two games at a time.

Lillygren and staff chose to honor former Lee’s Summit Schools Athletic Director Darwin Rold. Rold was honored during the pre-game events at the Broncos home opener on Monday, Nov. 25. Rold has supported Coach Lillygren since he was her science teacher and softball coach at Raytown South High School. Lillygren would later coach at Raytown South herself before coming to Lee’s Summit North when the school opened.

Rold says of the honor “It was a real honor to sit there first.” Rold says Lillygren is “a great young lady.” Rold spoke of the days he had coach Lillygren in science class and also coached her in softball during her high school days. Rold states her dad “Was very special.” “Knew her dad well”, Coach Rold would meet him at parents/teachers conferences and again during softball season. Later in his career Rold would hire Lillygren to join the Lee’s Summit school district.

Starting in January the Broncos will have more home games as the 2019-20 season progresses. Fans will want to come out and support the team and learn who is being honored by sitting in the Legacy Seat at that night’s game.