A Panther becomes a Battlin Bear

Saratoga Panthers guard, senior Finn Rolseth signed a commitment letter to the Rocky Mountain College Battlin Bears on Wednesday, March 20 with his coaches and family right by his side.

Rolseth has had an outstanding season from his game-winning basket against Southeast Cyclones in the quarter-finals of the 1A State Tournament to his dominant performance against the Cokeville Panthers in the semi-finals which lead Saratoga to the State Championship Round. Rolseth has also won All-State Honors and was selected to play in the Wyoming Coaches Association North/South All-Star game in July.

This got the attention of college scouts who have been following Rolseth. It would be RMC, a private institution from Billings, Montana, that rolled the red carpet of opportunity Rolseth was looking for. Rolseth said RMC was the perfect fit.

“I have emailed a lot of smaller two-year schools and then I was looking through schools that I can realistically go to,” Rolseth said. “RMC is in a tougher division with tough players and the head coach got back to me and wanted me on the team, so it was a no-brainer for me to sign with the higher competition school,”

Rolseth said RMC has the right chemistry for teamwork. He said RMC’s coaching philosophy is much like Saratoga Panthers Head Coach Jason Williams, which is why RMC makes him feel right at home.

“Honestly the coaching staff talks exactly like Coach Williams and Coach Johnston,” Rolseth said. “The RMC coaching staff focuses a lot on developing students as a person and player. They don’t allow … being disrespectful. They coach with integrity and I deeply appreciate that from the coach.”

Rolseth said his greatest memories were with his team during his time at Saratoga. He said his funniest moments were with last year’s seniors Grady and Grant Barlett. Each time Roselth thinks of them he cannot stop laughing.

“I will miss having practice with my friends, especially with Fischer Williams, the talented freshmen on our team, and just playing basketball,” Rolseth said. “My most hilarious moments with the Bartlett twins were being in hotels and hearing them four doors down then I would walk over and say ‘What is going on?’ They were fun to watch at the hotel and always got me laughing.“

Coach Williams said he is super proud of Rolseth for signing with RMC and believes he will have amazing success. He said they are lucky to have him as a student.

“This is well deserved and nobody works harder not only during the season but in the off-season,” Williams said. “That is the hard work Finn puts in and getting stronger and getting better. That is why he is moving on to the next level and it shows that hard work pays off and Finn is a perfect example of that”.

Rolseth said he was excited to be playing in the North/South All-Star game this summer. He said it was a great honor to be selected by the WCA and is looking forward to playing with his former conference rivals as his teammates, especially with Cokeville’s Jack Dayton. He said it’s a great opportunity to play with some of the best in the 1A Conference. Rolseth will also be teammates with former Upton Bobcats star Luca Brooks who is currently entering his Junior year at RMC this fall.