With the start of the Louisiana College season just days away, head coach Reni Mason bolstered his staff with the addition of assistant coaches Casey Apetrei and Kobe Robinson.
Apetrei, a native of Mandeville, La., is no stranger to the NAIA game or central Louisiana. From 2014-2017, he was on the staff of Larry Cordaro at LSU Alexandria where he helped the Generals rise from a brand new program to a national contender almost overnight as he helped bring in Will Claiborne, Chris Vickers, Brandon Moss, and Gilbert Talbot to LSUA, all of whom became NAIA All-Americans during their time in Alexandria. The Generals made the NAIA National Championship Tournament every year he was on the bench, and during his final season at LSUA, the Generals went 34-0 on their way to a #1 national ranking and the team’s first NAIA Fab Four appearance, the national tournament semifinals.
Apetrei started his coaching career as a student assistant at NCAA DI Southeastern Louisiana, then was a graduate assistant at another NCAA DI program, Southern in Baton Rouge. From there, he went to Frank Phillips College, where he was instrumental in bringing in future NBA player Alize Johnson before his time at LSUA. After leaving Alexandria, he went to Lamar State College-Port Arthur as an associate head coach, and finally returned to the NAIA ranks for the spring COVID season at Lindsey Wilson College.
Robinson is getting his first crack at coaching on the collegiate level. A four-year player at Point University, Robinson joins the Wildcats staff after getting his masters from Southeastern University in Florida. Both Point & Southeastern are NAIA programs. During the 2020-21 season, he coached on the prep level at Scotland Campus is Pennsylvania.
The Wildcats (0-0) open their inaugural season in the NAIA this Saturday, October 23rd at home against Lindsey Wilson College. Tip-off against the Blue Raiders (0-0) is set for 3:00 P.M. at H.O. West Fieldhouse.
Story Courtesy: Richard Thiberville, Jr. | LC Sports Information
