Behind the Lines: Looking Back on the 2025-2026 LBCC Basketball Season With Head Coach Todd Zimmermann
LBCC Men’s Head Basketball Coach Todd Zimmermann has one clear goal, outside of obviously winning an NWAC title, and it is to build a culture within the Roadrunner basketball program that promotes excellence on and off the court.
The men’s basketball team finished the 2025-26 season with a 13-16 record (7-8 in region).
In a season that brought a lot of chaos for players and coaches alike, everyone was constantly tested under pressure. However, these never ending roadblocks, most notably a team-wide injury bug that stuck around all season, ultimately helped to grow that ever-important culture.
The team never rolled over, fighting for a spot in the NWAC playoffs until there was three games left in the season. More often than not, the Beaks brand of basketball could be described as fast-paced and team oriented with an emphasis on moving the ball consistently to find the right shot. When the ball would settle in one person’s hands it would usually be a big posting up or guard Kaiden Ford driving to the rack.
Defensively, LB lived and died by aggression, having some nights where they’d completely shut down their opponent with steady ball pressure and pesky backcourt defense.
I sat down with Coach Zimmermann to better understand the course of this past season and to discuss the aims of the team heading into a big offseason.
What were your guys goals in the preseason, and how do you think you met/missed the expectations you set for yourself?
I think for all of our programs here at Linn-Benton, the goal is always to win the south region and then to turn that into a run in the NWAC tournament and bring home a banner. So, for us to not reach the tournament, it would be easy for us to sit here and say “well, we fell short” but I really don’t think that would give this team enough credit for what they had to deal with this year.
For some that maybe don’t know, describe a little bit of what you mean by “what they had to deal with”?
We had 14 kids on the roster the last week of August. By the eighth day of fall camp, in late September, we were already down to ten. We added another body after that but then we lost one more for the year and had another leave the program. Then we had one who missed the last six games of the year (Anthony Best) and one who missed the first 11 (Jackson Oglesby). And all of these guys weren’t just practice bodies, these were people we were relying on to eat up consistent minutes. Three of the four guys we lost for the year were scholarship players.
When you guys got down the stretch of the season and you were forced into embracing the “nine man starting lineup” mentality, how did that help as a team?
I felt like the fellas really understood the situation we were in. Everyone was eating clean, taking their recovery seriously, all as the schedule was pretty nuts at times. Twice during the league schedule we were playing five times in 10 days, all the guys did a great job of understanding what they needed to do to be prepared. I thought, given the circumstances, they did a great job of preparing themselves for those games (down the stretch) and taking care of themselves; seeing the trainer, getting the proper rest so that they were able to then go out and still perform at a high level.
Another question for those who maybe didn’t watch as much, what player, or players would you label as the teams MVP?
We had a lot of different guys step up and a lot of different times. I would say our most consistent offensive performer was Kaiden Ford. He ended up averaging 21 points per game, which was second in total scoring in the NWAC and first among freshmen (Ford was named for first team all-NWAC South). He also averaged over 20 in league, so, offensively Kaiden was showing up each and every night. Gabe Townsend, especially in league, for the team he averaged a little over 11 points a game, in league he stepped that up to 15, h was also our leading rebounder in league. Both Braxton Long and Kai Russell did a great job of running our offense and getting us into things all year. JoJo Harrower had to play all over the place. He played some point guard, some two, three, even some five. Each of those guys at different points, especially down the stretch, consistently came up huge for us. And that’s exactly what you want, right? You don’t want a team completely reliant on one guy and the way we try to do things allows for different people to have big nights some nights, and others to have them on others.
What is the biggest focus point going into this offseason?
Little details. We had a bunch of freshmen so there were a lot of little things we could have done a better job on, both sides of the ball, on offense and defense, and even in classroom preparation. General defensive intensity is another big point of emphasis. We scored a lot of points, but we gave up more. So just finding that defensive identity and continuing to build the healthiest culture we can build. We want to find the right recruits that feed into the good health of the program and we want our returning guys to be ready to teach that culture, mindset and work ethic.
On the topic of recruiting, given the losses you guys will have, what are the biggest voids to be filled?
Well first things first we got to get some numbers. We’ll have between six and eight guys coming back from this year's roster, so we’re looking for probably 10 more guys to come in. Of course, there’s specific needs we have, but what we really look for in our recruiting class is guys that have an incredible work ethic: on the court, in the weight room and in the classroom. We’re looking for “we first” kind of players. We want the kind of players that believe the wolf only gets fed as much as the pack can go out and eat. So those are really our areas of emphasis. We’re looking for dogs that get after it and are serious about getting a good start in their education. Guys that are going to be great citizens on campus and great members of their community.
So, that culture we keep talking about, is that what keeps you coming back to coach every year?
Yes. There’s nothing like athletics to encapsulate what life’s all about. We all need community. We all need people to work in order to achieve goals. We all need people that we can count on when we aren’t at our best to pick us up. It always feels good to be at your best and pick up someone who isn’t.
Finally, what did this season teach you about yourself?
Very early on we went from preseason setup mode to panic mode. I’m old, I don’t know if you remember the show “M.A.S.H.”, but it’s about a field hospital in the Korean War and they’re dealing with soldiers coming right off the front lines, and they never know who’s going to come in or how severe the injuries are going to be. That’s kind of what this season felt like, we got sent into ‘triage mode’ right away. So I learned a lot about physical therapy, and being more flexible with things like our strength training. Honestly just continuing to learn about the game, this was only my fourth season here so continuing to learn just how challenging and fun it can be to go against professional coaching on a nightly basis. I feel like my team building skills are something I think I can always get better at. I think I learned a lot this year that I can take with me to next year to be a better coach and person.
At a Glance:
Todd Zimmermann
Topic: Debrief of the Roadrunner basketball season, a look towards plans for the future
Occupation: Head basketball coach
Before LBCC: Teacher at West Albany and head basketball coach for eight seasons, joined Roadrunner coaching staff in 2016
Years as Head Coach: 4
Link to the Basketball Team’s Website: https://athletics.linnbenton.edu/sports/mbkb/index
Focused on his clipboard, Zimmermann draws up a play for his team to run.
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