By Steve Carpenter
HCC Sports Information Director
Monday, October 13, 2008
WICHITA – Despite having
just two players returning who totaled 150 combined minutes of playing
time, the Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team was picked
to win the 2008-09 Jayhawk West championship.
The preseason Jayhawk
Conference coaches poll was released on Monday at the league’s annual
media day in Wichita. Hutchinson (23-9 last season) was picked to win
the west for the second-straight season, while Cowley College was the
coaches’ choice on the East.
“The talent level is
good at each position” said HCC head coach Ryan Swanson, who begins his
third season. “We have players who can play multiple positions and our
overall athleticism is good. It’s just that no one has proven anything
at the college level.”
The lone two returning
players are sophomores Austin Bond and Ryan Douvier, both in-state
players from Kansas City and Newton, respectively.
Bond (6-foot-4 guard)
missed much of the season with an injury. He played in 13 games and
averaged just 2.9 points while shooting 27.9 percent overall, but 31.3
percent from 3-point range.
Douvier (6-5 forward)
saw limited playing time in 22 games, averaging 0.6 points per game.
That means that the Blue
Dragons will depend on a talented, but untested group of first-year
players.
Forward Cliff Dixon
(6-10) is going to be heavily counted on in the post. Darius
Johnson-Odom (6-2) will likely take over at the point replacing
All-American Bobby Maze.
Redshirt freshman Javari
Williams (6-5) is an athletic forward who will battle for playing time.
Dominique Rutledge (6-8) is a rebounder who can score.
Everson Lacerda (6-11)
is a transfer from Colby, who averaged 7.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per
game last season.
Behind HCC is Cloud
County, Barton and Garden City. Defending Region VI champion Seward
County was picked to finish fifth.
The Blue Dragons open
the 2008-09 season with the annual Quarterback Classic on Friday and
Saturday, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1
2008-09 Jayhawk West
Predicted Order of Finish
1. Hutchinson
2. Cloud County
3. Barton
4. Garden City
5. Seward County
6. Dodge City
7. Pratt
8. Butler
9. Colby
2008-09 Jayhawk East
Predicted Order of Finish
1. Cowley
2. Coffeyville
3. Independence
4. Johnson County
5. Neosho County
6. Kansas City
7. Allen County
8. Highland
9. Labette
10. Fort Scott
