New Morton College men's basketball coach Aaron Rolle places a great deal of emphasis on development.

"It's all about development," said Rolle, who worked his way up from volunteer to associate head coach during his six years at NAIA Roosevelt University in Chicago, "whether it's skill development or personal development. On the court, we want to make you better as a player. Off the court, we want to help you transition to a four-year school. That's what the guys at Morton College make the investment in."

Morton College is Rolle's first head coaching position, but it's been something he's working for since the age of 17 when he started coaching youth teams in his hometown of Sterling, Illinois.

"I started doing as an after-school job and just developed a passion for it," Rolle said. "Personally, I like working with and developing players so I've always wanted to work at the junior college level. I have a solid understanding of what it takes to be successful on and off the court."

"We couldn't be more excited to have Aaron join us," said Billy Jacklin, athletic director at Morton College. "Aaron is a high character individual who leads by example. He will be a terrific addition to Morton College and we look forward to him taking over the program."

In Rolle's profile on the Roosevelt athletic web page, Lakers' head coach Joe Griffin describes Rolle as a "natural teacher and a great role model. Aaron's strongest attributes are in his ability to relate to our players, recruits and all stakeholders in our program."

Former players also sing Rolle's praises. Roosevelt 1,000-point club member Tyree York credited Rolle in a March 2016 Medill News Service on-line article for helping him develop the most because they grew together on the team.

In addition to Roosevelt, Rolle has worked a number of camps and clinics, including the Reebok Headliner and Under Armour All-American camps.

Rolle studied Morton College's past and sees an opportunity to compete on a high level at the conference and national levels. He was hired in late September and didn't have a chance to recruit his own players. However, Rolle doesn't inherit an empty cupboard thanks to the efforts of previous coach Brandon Watkins, who left after one season to take an assistant's job at Northern Illinois.

"Brandon Watkins did a great job in setting a certain tone with the guys," Rolle said. "The guys have high expectations. They've been training on their own and holding each other accountable. There's been nothing but positives. It's a great group of guys."

Rolle, a graduate of DePaul with a degree in sociology, also is happy with his staff. Anthony Patton, a holdover from Watkins' staff, returns. Stanley Boateng comes over from Oakton to be the other assistant.

"I'm excited about our staff," Rolle said. "We were lucky to retain Anthony Patton. He has a great knowledge of the game and has positive relationships with the players. That's exciting. Stanley has a great grasp on skill development and has been in this league for six seasons. He will connect with our players and be a great asset in recruiting. They both are hungry and want to learn. They bring their own identity and knowledge of the game to the program."

Rolle's earliest biggest hurdle is developing those all-important relationships with the Panther student-athletes.

"The biggest thing is developing relationships with the guys and earning their trust," Rolle said. "That's something that works both ways. The sooner that happens, the more success we'll see earlier on. We're focusing on the process and the day-to-day things we have to do to be our best and get us to where we want to be. If we fall short, we want to make sure we've done our absolute best."

Morton College opens the 2017-18 season at Blackhawk on Thursday, Nov. 2nd. The Panthers' home debut is Saturday, Nov. 11th against Ancilla.

More about Morton College athletics is available at www.gomcpanthers.com