Lucas Lumbra (he/him) is the Esports Head Coach at Central Community College (CCC) and is leading his team into their third year of competition this fall. Last year, Lumbra had 20 scholarship students competing in three game titles: Call of Duty (CoD), Rocket League, and League of Legends. In addition to his competitors, he had a group of student staff who assisted with streams, social media, and graphic design. The team earned four NJCAAE National Tier 1 Runner-Up titles across all CoD modes and two recent Tier 1 National Championships: SP24 CoD: 4v4 and SP24 CoD: Gunfight, bringing the first-ever National Championship to CCC Athletics.

Esports has always been a passion for Lumbra, beginning with Team Fortress 2 tournaments he signed up for while in high school. When Overwatch (OW) was released in 2016, just after his high school graduation, he had more time to play and money to build his own PC. During his first year at The Ohio State University, Lumbra balanced his classes with grinding in OW ranked. In his second year, he joined the university's esports club, ESI, and competed on the Ohio State Overwatch team as the only Grandmaster participant.

In his second year of competition with ESI, Lumbra helped reorganize and rebrand the club to Buckeye Gaming Collective and became the lead player-manager for the Overwatch team. Under his leadership, the team grew to compete on the national stage, achieving a top 8 regular season finish and a top 16 playoff finish in Blizzard’s Spring 2019 Collegiate Overwatch competition, and repeated this success in Spring 2021.

In 2020, Lumbra became an inaugural member of the official Ohio State Esports program as both a competitor and team manager, before graduating in December 2021. He has successfully leveraged his experience and passion for collegiate esports competition to secure his current position at CCC.

What is the best part of your job? Are there any challenges?

“The best part of my job is, without a doubt, working with an amazing group of students. I was very lucky to start the program with a class of students who were as enthusiastic and committed to the success of the program as I was. As the program has grown, the dedication and engagement of our student body have only grown with it,” said Lumbra, “As a coach who can work closely with all of our competitive teams, seeing the development over the last two years is a point of pride. There are certainly challenges, many seasons have ended in ways that we did not hope they would, but perseverance and a growth mindset have helped us continue to bounce back from any disappointing results.”

Lumba explained that their team's approach to preparing for the NJCAAE competitions focuses on rigorous practice and a developmental mindset. According to Lumba, many of the initial players were not ready to win national championships when they started, but they understood that every practice, rep, or scrim, regardless of how well it goes in the moment, contributes to long-term development with the right mindset. The team focuses on 3-4 practices per week with its national championship-caliber teams, which has paid dividends across all the success seen in the first two years.

“I think that NJCAAe provides amazing opportunities and resources for two-year colleges. It really is a league unlike any other that can be found across college esports. I have been able to meet some incredible people while working within multiple committees and competitions,” said Lumba.

Have any of your players' growth or stories stood out to you as a coach?

“I have worked with many students who have not seen much success at larger institutions, but CCC and esports have provided a second chance to accomplish their academic goals, while also providing passionate participation in extra-curricular opportunities. One student in particular, Jackson ‘Vexxpr’, had mixed success during his time at South Dakota State University and eventually had to drop out. Joining CCC to work on classes while also playing Call of Duty, and eventually becoming our team captain, represented a huge shift for him, securing a 4.0 GPA in his second year here at CCC,” said Lumba. 

Entering into their third season, Lumba and the CCC esports team have high hopes for continued success. Lumba advises players to play, have fun, and not take it too seriously. He believes the easiest way to end a future career in esports is to stop enjoying the games you play. He encourages getting involved in high school programs, meeting people who share your passion, and taking it as seriously as they do. Lumba emphasizes that competition is not the only path to a career in esports, but that the opportunities are endless.