At its regular meeting for November the Lopez Island School District Board of Directors approved a contract for a new high school boys basketball coach for the 2008-09 season. Veteran coach MR Buffum was hired to lead the Lopez Lobo hoopsters. The season began Nov. 17, with the first home game scheduled for December 5.

Buffum coached middle school boys basketball for the last several seasons at Lopez and coached the varsity high school boys basketball team for 16 seasons from the mid-80s through the 2001-02 season. Buffum coached basketball in both the old gym and the new gym, and helped the district and its sports and PE programs transition into that new facility.