Drew Raher ’13 joined the Whitman College men’s basketball staff prior to the 2015-16 season, rejoining the coach, Eric Bridgeland, and program he played for during his four years at Whitman.
Prior to his return to the Northwest, Raher was an assistant video and operations manager for the University of Nevada at Las Vegas’ men’s basketball team.
A San Francisco native, Raher was a stalwart performer for Bridgeland from 2009 through 2013. Raher helped lead Whitman to 68 wins in his four years, 40 of which came against Northwest Conference opponents. Twice during Raher’s career Whitman finished second in the league standings, adding a third-place finish in between.
A participant in 100 games during his career Raher was tabbed for a starting role 77 times by Bridgeland. He averaged 19.2 minutes per game while posting a 6.6 points per game career scoring average to go along with 4.2 rebounds per contest.
In addition to coming back to help Coach Bridgeland and assistant Matt Airy, the opportunity to again be part of a program in which personal development is emphasized was a factor in returning to Sherwood Athletics Center.
“Our players here are eager to serve the Walla Walla community,” Raher explained. “We run youth basketball camps for Friends of Walla Walla (October 2015), and continue to spend time with the children at Washington State Park each Wednesday to teach basketball fundamentals and leadership skills.
“Led by Coach Bridgeland’s example, our guys understand the impact they can make in the community and take pride in doing so."
Raher earned his degree from Whitman in sociology and is pursuing a master’s in sports leadership from Northeastern University.
