By ALAN HOSKINS, Kansan Contributor

Three record-setting Kansas City Kansas Community College basketball players have earned second team All-Jayhawk East Conference recognition for their play in 2009-10.

Sophomore Derick Denny and freshman Dennis Tinnon were named to the Jayhawk East men’s second team while freshman Alyssa Rushton was named to the women’s All-East unit.

A 6-4 sophomore guard from Green Bay, Wis., Denny finished his two-year career as the all-time leader in three-point goals (227) and three-point shooting percentage (.454) and second in free throw percentage (.844) and three-point goals in a single season (119).

The Jayhawk leader in three-point goals both as a freshman and sophomore, he also led the conference in three-point percentage and was ninth in scoring (16.2).

A 6-7 forward also from Green Bay, Tinnon led the Jayhawk Conference in field goal accuracy (.640) and finished third in rebounding (10.65).

Averaging a double-double with 13.8 points and 10.65 rebounds, his 14 double-doubles are believed to be the most ever at KCKCC. He also ranks second in rebounds for a single game (21), third in field goal percentage and sixth in rebounds for a single season.

A 5-10 guard from Rochester, Minn., Rushton led the Jayhawk Conference in free throw percentage (.850), was second in three-point percentage (.404) and tied for eighth in three-point field goals with 65.

The Lady Blue Devils leading scorer at 13.3, her .403 three-point percentage is second all-time and her .850 free throw percentage is second only to teammate Michelle Selbe (.902).

Satoria Bell of Labette was named the East’s Most Valuable Player with Johnson County’s Ben Conrad Coach of the Year and Taylor Bird Freshman of the Year. Bell was joined on the All-East first team by Sadie Webb, Independence; Kellindra Zackery, Labette; Bjonee Reaves, Neosho; Gianna Woods, Cowley; and Melissa Nelson, Johnson County.

Antione Lundy of Neosho was voted Most Valuable men’s player; Tommy DeSalme of Cowley Coach of the Year; and Tyrus McGee of Cowley, Freshman of the Year. Lundy and McGee were joined on the first team by Andra Bailey, Allen County; Jarmar Gulley, Highland; and David Luster, Johnson County.

By ALAN HOSKINS, Kansan Contributor

Famed poet John Greenleaf Whittier once wrote “For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, ‘It might have been.’ ”

Such was the plight of the 2009-10 women’s basketball team at Kansas City Kansas Community College in search of its first winning season since 1998-99.

For the second straight season, Coach Valerie Stambersky lost her leading scorer (and third leading rebounder) at the semester break when former Piper standout Michelle Selbe was lost for the season with a torn ACL.

Averaging 14.9 points and 5.6 rebounds, Selbe set a KCKCC free throw percentage record of 90.2 (46 of 51). She also led in field goal shooting at 53.3 percent and at 6-1, certainly would have helped the Lady Blue Devils avoid the long-scoring second half droughts that plagued them through the Jayhawk Conference season.

Five of the Blue Devils’ conference losses came after KCKCC led at halftime and a sixth was tied at the break. Most devastating was the 14.8 percent second half shooting that enabled Coffeyville to erase a 40-22 halftime deficit in a 61-55 win; a 25-14 lead at the half lost at Fort Scott 53-44; and a 33-22 halftime wiped out by Independence 68-61.

Otherwise, it was a very promising start on the future. The 15 wins in the 15-16 campaign are the most since 1998-99 and with just two sophomores, the Blue Devils will return nearly 72 percent of their offense, 76 percent of the rebounding and the best free throwing team in history.

The most accurate free throwing team in the Jayhawk at 73.0 percent, three Blue Devils bettered All-America Jurgita Kausaite’s KCKCC free throw accuracy record of .813 – Selbe (.902), freshman Alyssa Rushton (.850) who led the Jayhawk and sophomore Sarah Craft (.845).

Craft, a forward from Lawrence, and guard Shannon Carlin of Tonganoxie will depart after starting a combined 57 of a possible 62 games this season. In addition to being one of the top free throwers, Craft was second in both scoring (9.9) and rebounds (6.1) and led in assists (2.2) while Carlin averaged 7.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and was second in assists (1.96).

Heading the list of returnees along with Selbe is Rushton, a 5-10 guard from Rochester, Minn., who led the Blue Devils in scoring at 13.3 points per game while averaging 4.6 rebounds. An All-Jayhawk East second team selection, Rushton not only led the conference in free throw accuracy but was second in the league in three-point accuracy (.409) and ninth in three-points goals with 65.

Other key returnees are 6-1 Laci Schreiber, who led in rebounding with 7.3 a game while averaging 7.6 points; 6-0 Melanie Phipps, who averaged 7.2 points and 5.7 rebounds despite missing 10 games with an injury; guard Jerae David, who averaged 4.8 points and 3.1 rebounds; and guard Annie Rowan, who started the final 10 games and averaged 2.7 points.

Anna Belousova, who averaged 2.8 points, and Ashley Wham (2.2) also return after seeing significant playing time along with Brenna Wilson.

With a healthy Selbe returning with the 6-1 Schreiber and the 6-0 Phipps, the Blue Devils will have the biggest and most prolific returning front line in Stambersky’s 12 years at the KCKCC helm while Rushton will provide both inside and outside offense.

The key will be to cut down on the 18.7 turnovers the Blue Devils averaged this season.

PHOTO: Starting a combined 57 of a possible 62 games this year, sophomores Sarah Craft (left) and Shannon Carlin were presented photo mementos of their two years of outstanding basketball at Kansas City Kansas Community College. (KCKCC Photo by Alan Hoskins) 

By ALAN HOSKINS, Kansan Contributor

The basketball record books at Kansas City Kansas Community College are going under a major revamping after one of the most successful combined seasons in recent years.

Not only did the Blue Devil men become only the fourth team in KCKCC history to win 21 games and the Lady Blue Devils win the most games (15) since 1999, the two teams were among the leaders in numerous statistical categories in the very tough Jayhawk Conference and nationally.

The biggest assault on the record book was turned in by the Blue Devil women, who led the conference in free throw percentage (.730) thanks to the best three free throwers in college history. Freshman Michelle Selbe of Piper obliterated the old KCKCC record of 81.3 percent by making 46 of 51 for 90.2 percent. However, an injury ended her season during the holiday break and she did not have enough free throws to qualify to lead the conference.

That honor went to another KCKCC frosh, Alyssa Rushton, who led the league at .850 followed closely by sophomore Sarah Craft, who finished at .845. The Blue Devils also wrote themselves into the record book by making 16 of 17 in a come-from-behind 62-54 win at Allen County after netting 15 of 17 against Fort Scott.

Rushton also tied the KCKCC record for three-point goals in a season with 65 and her .404 shooting percentage from three-point is second best both in the KCKCC record book and the Jayhawk Conference. Nationally, Rushton ranked eighth and Craft ninth in free throw percentage while the Blue Devils as a team were seventh.

Sophomores Derick Denny and Scott Fruehling and freshman Dennis Tinnon led the men’s assault on the record book.

In leading the Jayhawk in three-point goals both as a freshman (3.6 per game) and sophomore (4.1), Denny finished with 227 three-point goals and a 45.4 percent shooting percentage on treys, both all-time KCKCC bests. The most accurate free thrower in the conference (.844) and second in three-point accuracy, Denny ranks No. 2 on KCKCC’s all-time list for free throw percentage and three-point goals in a single season (119).

Led by Denny and Fruehling, whose 87 three-point goals were the second most in the conference, the Blue Devils led the conference with 266, an average of 8.58 per game. With 38 three-pointers as a freshman, Fruehling is sixth on the all-time KCKCC list for three-pointers for a career and single season.

Tinnon led the Jayhawk in field goal accuracy, hitting 64.0 percent, and was third in rebounding with 10.65 per game. His 21 rebounds against Independence are the second most in KCKCC history and he’s also third on the all-time list in shooting percentage and fifth in rebounds in a single season (277).

In addition to leading the conference in three-point goals, the Blue Devils also led in three-point shooting percentage (.396); were second in field goal offense (.481); third in scoring margin (11.2) and rebound margin (8.58); fourth in scoring defense (66.3), field goal defense (.406) and defensive rebounds (27.32); and fifth in assists (16.52).

Nationally, the Blue Devils tied for fourth in three-point field goal percentage, were 19th in rebounding and 25th in field goal percentage while individually, Denny was 12th in free throw percentage and 13th in three-point percentage and Tinnon 11th in field goal percentage.
 

By ALAN HOSKINS, Kansan Contributor

Having a season come to an end is difficult enough but Kansas City Kansas Community College basketball teams took a double jolt Tuesday, crossing virtually the entire state of Kansas for their seasons to come to an end.

The Blue Devil men were eliminated from the Region VI playoffs by Seward County 85-66 in Liberal eight hours away in the far southwest corner of the state while the Lady Blue Devils were losing seven hours away in Garden City 68-54.

Despite the loss, the Blue Devil men finished 21-10, only the fourth team to ever win 21 games in a season. Trailing 33-28 at the half, KCKCC led 52-51with nine minutes to go only to have Latiq Agard’s  put back goal ignite the Saints on a game-ending 34-14 run.

Scott Fruehling led KCKCC with 18 points including five three-pointers; Dennis Tinnon posted his 11th double-double in his last 15 games with 16 points and 11 rebounds; Andre Metoyer just missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds and Derick Denny added three three-pointers in four attempts despite playing on a sore right ankle.

The Blue Devils actually out-shot the Saints .472-.453 and were even on the boards 33-33 but committed 23 turnovers to just eight for Seward (23-8). Agasrd had 29 points and Marky Nolen 21 for Seward.

Playing without head coach Valerie Stambersky, whose father, Tom Scott, passed away Sunday, the Lady Blue Devils fell behind 39-29 at halfltime as Garden City was 17 of 33 from the field for 51.5 percent.

The Blue Devils’ Alyssa Rushton led all scorers with 23 points while Melanie Phipps added 11 points and eight rebounds and Sarah Craft nine points and five rebounds.

The loss ended the Lady Blue Devils season at 15-16. The 15 wins are the most in Stambersky’s 11 years at KCKCC and the most since the 15-16 season in Jill Phillips’ final season as head coach in 1999.      

Story and Photo By ALAN HOSKINS, Kansan Contributor

Coach Jon Oler’s 2010 Blue Devils have become only the fourth team in Kansas City Kansas Community College basketball history to win 21 games.

Despite the loss of the Jayhawk Conference’s leading three-point shooter Derick Denny due to an ankle injury in the first 3 ½ minutes, the Blue Devils were still 10 of 22 from three-point range in an 85-42 rout of Fort Scott.

KCKCC’s women were 8 of 16 from three-point but it wasn’t enough to prevent a 71-63 loss to Fort Scott as the 2010 regular season came to an end.

With Denny sidelined, sophomore Scott Fruehling took over the three-point shooting lead, equaling his career high with 6-of-8 for a game high 18 points along with five assists while freshman Dennis Tinnon was 7-of-8 from the field for 16 points as KCKCC shot 57.4 percent for the game.

Melvin Gatson added 14 points and six assists and Jonathan Wright 10 points and five assists in their final home games while freshman Monty Taylor had 12 points and five assists.

Andre Metoyer closed out his home career by grabbing 10 rebounds as did Tinnon, who had his 10th double double in the last 14 games. Limiting Fort Scott to 6 of 26 shots, KCKCC (21-9) opened a 39-16 halftime lead and led by as many as 51 points (77-26) as every Blue Devil scored or had a rebound.   

The Blue Devil women (15-15) trailed 59-57 with 4:39 left but did not score another field goal until the final 13 seconds while Fort Scott made nine free throws in a row in a 12-1 run that denied KCKCC its first 16-wn season since 1997.

Sarah Craft had 17 points and five rebounds in her final home game for KCKCC while Alyssa Rushton added 14 points and Melanie Phipps 13. Rushton also had seven rebounds and Phipps and Laci Schreiber six each. Rushton and Shannon Carlin led in assists with four each.

PHOTO: With concerned fans looking on, trainer Guy Phillips was the first to arrive when KCKCC scoring leader Derick Denny went down with a severe ankle injury in the opening minutes of the Blue Devils’ 85-42 rout of Fort Scott Saturday. (KCKCC Photo by Alan Hoskins).

By ALAN HOSKINS, Kansan Contributor

Photo By LESLIE PAYNE

Not even one of the biggest Kansas City Kansas Community College rallies in history was enough to knock Cowley County out of first place in the Jayhawk Conference Wednesday night.

Trailing by 15 points with 18 minutes to go, the Blue Devils rallied to within two at 59-57 with five minutes remaining only to have the Tigers pull away for a 69-61 win on top of a 62-50 win in the women’s game.

Despite the losses, both teams still have the opportunity for milestone wins when they close out the home season Saturday against Fort Scott (2 and 4 p.m.).

At 20-9, the Blue Devil men can become only the fourth team in KCKCC history to win 21 games in a season while the Lady Blue Devils (15-14) can become the first women’s team to win more than 15 games since 1998. The games will also mark the final regular season games for eight sophomores.

Shooting a torrid 58.6 percent, the Cowley men built a 43-28 halftime lead before KCKCC mounted a comeback behind forwards Dennis Tinnon and Andre Metoyer, whose two layups cut the Blue Devil deficit to 59-57.

However, Tyrus McGee responded with his fourth three-pointer of the game and an explosive dunk to reopen the lead to 66-59 with less than two minutes to go.

Three-point goals were the difference. The most prolific three-point team in the league both in numbers and accuracy, the Blue Devils were just 5 of 21 for 23.8 percent while Cowley nailed 10 of 20.

Tinnon, the 6-7 freshman out of Green Bay who should be the Jayhawk Freshman of the Year, had another spectacular performance, hitting 11 of 16 shots for 24 points and hauling in 18 rebounds including eight offensive, just one less then the entire Cowley team. Metoyer added 11 points and eight rebounds and Scott Fruehling 11 points and six assists.

KCKCC’s women gave second place Cowley a big scare, leading 42-41 with 13:22 remaining, However, the Blue Devils did not score another field goal until the 2:39 mark as the Tigers used a 13-1 spurt to open a 54-43 lead and then protected it with 8 of 10 free throws in the final 1:13.

Alyssa Rushton had 18 points, Laci Schreiber 11 and Shannon Carlin 8 for the Lady Blue Devils, who were limited to 30.2 percent shooting. KCKCC had a 37-28 rebounding advantage as Rushton and Carlin had seven, Melanie Phipps six and Jerae David and Schreiber five each but Cowley shot 48.8 percent and committed just 10 turnovers to KCKCC’s 16.

The losses all but assured KCKCC’s first round playoff foes. The Lady Blue Devils will most likely play at Cloud County Tuesday with the men making the long trip to face Seward County in Liberal.

PHOTO: Andre Metoyer, who scored two goals to pull KCKCC with in two points with five minutes to go, goes high above Cowley’s Michael Copeland to bank in two of his 11 points in the Blue Devils 69-61 loss. (Photo by Leslie Payne)

By ALAN HOSKINS, Kansan Contributor

Photo By LESLIE PAYNE

Playing side-by-side with the most prolific three-point scorer in Kansas City Kansas Community College history, Scott Fruehling has quietly written himself into the Blue Devil record book.

Only the eighth Blue Devil player to go over the 100 mark in three-point goals, Fruehling’s 119 have him No. 6 on the all-time career list.

A 6-2 sophomore guard from Shawnee Mission Northwest, Fruehling reached the 100 mark with six treys in an 88-66 win at Neosho, had two more in KCKCC’s 69-62 upset of league-leading Coffeyville and followed it up with five treys and a career high 21 points in a near 75-72 upset at Independence and five more in the Blue Devils’ 87-75 overtime win over Johnson County.

With 73 three-pointers in 28 games this season, Fruehling ranks fourth in the Jayhawk with an average of 2.60 per game. Between Fruehling and Derick Denny, the conference leader with 4.35 per game, the Blue Devils are the runaway leader in both three-point goals (8.64) and shooting percentage (.401).

In double figures in 12 of his last 18 games, Fruehling has moved his scoring average into double figures at 10.5 or more than double his 4.5 average of a year ago when he played in all 31 games and started six.

The marked improvement can be attributed to a summer of practice which helped him add more than 100 points to his field goal shooting percentage, from .315 to .418.

“He’s probably done as much work with his shot as anyone I’ve ever had and really improved on his shooting over his freshman year,” said Jon Oler, who is in his 11th season as KCKCC head coach. “He’s also become quite the leader as a sophomore. Our most ocal leader, he has a real good basketball IQ and helps everyone else on the floor.” 

The marked improvement in the Blue Devil basketball record can also be attributed in part to summer workouts.

“We put in a lot of work during the summer,” said Fruehling. “All the sophomores were here and we played in a summer league and worked out on special things almost every day Monday through Thursday. Last year, we were so horrible (10-21) that we didn’t want to go through that again.”

In addition to improving his shooting, the workouts added strength.

“They made a big, big difference,” he said. “I got a lot stronger, especially my legs. I’m able to play a whole game and its made my shot more consistent because your legs are a big part of shooting.”

Equally important was the chemistry developed during the off-season.

“The chemistry is real good,” says Fruehling. “We joke with each other and give each other a hard time but on the court, there’s no selfishness at all. Everyone picks each other up. If someone is having a bad night, we tell them to keep shooting, it’s no big deal.”

Throw in the sophomore experience and it’s produced the third 20-win season in the last five season.

“I think the sophomore leadership has been the difference plus we have a lot of weapons we didn’t have last year,” says Fruehling. “We’ve got the big men we didn’t have last year, Dennis Tinnon who is averaging a double double in points and rebounds and Hal Payne at 6-10 along with sophomores Andre Metoyer at 6-7 and Jonathan Wright who comes in and gives us good minutes either at the post or the wing.”

A three-year letterman and two-year starter at SM Northwest, Fruehling averaged 12 points at the shooting guard position as a junior before moving to point guard as a senior where he led in assists and averaged eight points on a team that won the Sunflower League and finished 16-6.

He followed in brother Tyler’s footsteps in coming to KCKCC.

“I liked Coach Oler, my brother played here and liked it and it was close so I could live at home,” says Fruehling.

The son of Todd and Suzy Fruehling, there’s another older brother, Bubba, and another promising cager, Trey, a two-year starter as a junior on the SM Northwest team.

Where he’ll continue his basketball career remains up in the air.

“I have no idea what I’ll do,” he says. “I’d like to go to an NCAA Division II school. Coach Oler has said just to wait it out and see what happens.”

“He’ll have plenty of opportunities,” promises Oler. “There’s a lot of interest in NAIA schools.”

By ALAN HOSKINS, Kansan Contributor

The most prolific three-point scorer in the Jayhawk Conference, Derick Denny hit two of the biggest of his career Saturday to help Kansas City Kansas Community College defeat Johnson County 87-75 in overtime.

The win was the 20th of the season for the Blue Devils, the third time in the last five years KCKCC has reached the 20-win mark under Coach Jon Oler.

With two games remaining, the Blue Devils close out regular season play Saturday when eight sophomores close out their careers in the home finale against Fort Scott at 2 and 4 p.m.

First round Region VI playoffs will begin Tuesday with the Lady Blue Devils expected to play at either Cloud or Garden City while the men will likely play at Seward County.

Leading JCCC 75-74 with less than two minutes in overtime, Denny drilled back-to-back three-pointers in a span of 50 seconds for an 81-75 lead and Melvin Gatson sealed the win with four straight free throws and a layup following a steal as the Blue Devils were 4-of-4 in the extra period.

KCKCC led at halftime 41-36 only to be outscored 13-2 in the first 6½ minutes of the second half and trailed 49-43 before going back ahead 50-49 and setting up a see-saw finish that saw seven ties and 16 lead changes.

Three-pointers by Gatson and Denny gave KCKCC a 70-66 lead with 2:26 left but the Cavaliers pulled even when Kyle Speed drained three free throws with 18 seconds left and Gatson’s jumper for the win came up far short with two seconds to go.

All five Blue Devils scored in double figures. Denny, who was 6-of-9 from three, and Scott Fruehling, who was 5-of 10 from distance, had 18 and 17 points, respectively, to lead while Gatson added 15 points, Dennis Tinnon 14 and Andre Metoyer 11.

Tinnon also had a huge game on the boards, grabbing 16 including seven offensively while Metoyer added seven and Monty Taylor five. Gatson led in assists with six while Fruehling had five and Taylor four.

KCKCC spotted Johnson County’s No. 3 ranked Division II women a 15-0 lead in the first 7½ minutes and then played the Cavaliers even for the next 20 minutes before falling 79-52.

The Cavaliers (25-3) did it with torrid outside shooting, hitting 15 of 31 three-pointers including seven by Crista Bechard and six by Emily Blakesley. Alyssa Rushton had 17 points and Sarah Craft 16 for the Blue Devils, who were outrebounded 40-24.

The loss left KCKCC 15-13.

By ALAN HOSKINS, Kansan Contributor

Their hopes for a home opening round playoff berth dealt a staggering blow by a heartbreaking 75-72 loss at Independence Wednesday night, milestone wins are still within reach of Kansas City Kansas Community College’s basketball teams as they close out regular season play with three straight twin bills at home.

At 19-8, the Blue Devil men are still within reach of becoming the winningest KCKCC in history. A sweep of the final three home games and a first round playoff win would make them the first Blue Devil team in history to win 23 games while the Blue Devil women (15-12) need only one more win for their first winning season since 1997-98.

Arch-rival Johnson County starts the stretch of home games Saturday at 2 and 4 p.m. followed by Cowley County next Wednesday night and Fort Scott a week from Saturday, Feb. 27.

Scott Fruehling, who had five three-point goals, had a game-tying sixth go in and come out at the buzzer as Independence escaped the Blue Devils for a second time. Earlier, the Pirates escaped when a go-ahead KCKCC three-pointer rimmed out with eight seconds to go.

Playing without leading scorer Derick Denny, the Blue Devils still managed to hit 24 of 46 field goals for 52.2 percent only to be done in by 19 turnovers, seven more than Indy.

Fruehling led the way with a career high 21 points while Andre Metoyer added 12, Dennis Tinnon 11 and Jonathan Wright 10. Metoyer also had a game high 10 rebounds for KCKCC, which led 33-28 at the half only to be overtaken by Indy’s 48.4 percent second half shooting and a 31-point effort by Anthony Downing.

The loss all but ended KCKCC’s (6-6) hopes of a first division finish, dropping the Blue Devils into sixth place in the Region VI standings behind Coffeyville (10-2), Cowley (9-3), Neosho (8-4), Independence (7-4) and Allen County (6-5).

Independence (19-7) stayed in the thick of the women’s Region VI race by surging to a 34-22 halftime lead en route to an 81-38 triumph in the opener. Thirteen players scored for the Lady Pirates, who shot 52.2 percent and had a 44-31 rebound advantage.

Alyssa Rushton had nine points and Laci Schreiber eight for KCKCC. Schreiber also had a game high nine rebounds and Sarah Craft seven for the Blue Devils, who remained fifth in the Region at 4-8.

Story By ALAN HOSKINS, Kansan Contributor

Photo By LESLIE PAYNE

With the Kansas City Kansas Community College career three-point record long tucked away, Derick Denny is in hot pursuit of even greater goals.

With 19 wins under their belt and a minimum of five games to go, the Blue Devils are in reach of becoming the winningest team in KCKCC history. No Blue Devil team has ever won more than the 22 won in Dan Pratt’s first two seasons as head coach in 1987 and 1988.

“Boy, that’s one I’d really like to get,” says Denny, who in his two-year career has notched 213 three-pointers, which is 23 more than the previous record of 190.

And there’s yet another goal he’s well on his way to reaching. A Native American, Derick Denny is a member of the Oneida Nation in Wisconsin where he grew up, a heritage of which he’s most proud.

“Growing up you hear about Larry Bird and Michael Jordan but never about any Native American playing basketball. I’d like to be successful and show that full-blooded Native Americans can play basketball.”

He’s already become a well-known figure in the Jayhawk Conference. The co-leader in three-point goals as a freshman, Denny has been the target of every conceivable defense possible, making his runaway lead in three-point goals even more impressive.

“It tires you out, especially late in the season when your body is beaten and worn out,” admits Denny, who spends almost every offensive second running in an attempt to escape an opposing team’s quickest defender. “You’re going to be tired so you get used to it because you have to be ready to score. Not only that, you want to be consistent and not miss a shot. Highland really knew how to guard me. I take my hat off to them, they really shut me down.”

Just 3 of 14 in two games against Highland, Denny is nevertheless shooting at a 46.1 per cent clip from three-point which is considered exceptional from distance at any level. He’s also the most accurate free throw shooter in the conference at 84.4 percent and his 9 of 10 from the foul line including four in the final 30 seconds were huge in KCKCC’s 69-62 upset of league-leading Coffeyville.

Denny’s ability to shoot the ball was made possible by his older sister, Maria Denny.

“When I was little, I’d throw it up one way and she’d say, no, do it this way,” he says. “Now if you see her shoot, we shoot the same way. She was my competition growing up even though she was a girl. She played two years at Haskell. I think she could have gone anywhere but she had no one driving her like she drove me. She really pushed me. We had a goal right next to the house and she’d light me up. The last time we played was a couple of years ago and she still beat me.”

It was also Maria who played a major role in Denny landing at KCKCC. As a junior at Seymour High School in Green Bay, Denny started the first two games only to tear his ACL and miss the rest of the season.

“The team got to the state and if I had been playing, the coach said we would have won,” he says. Healthy enough to play AAU ball during the summer, he tore it again in the last game before his senior season. Despite playing hurt, he got in the last 14 games of the season and earned first team all-conference honors.

The injuries, however, kept him off all the recruiting lists and too often out of school. “Not being able to play, I was depressed and didn’t do much. My grades were not what they should be, I had a cousin die who was real close and my son was born. So I figured the junior college route was the best way.”

He took visits to West Plains (Mo.) and Kennedy-King in Chicago and was scheduled to visit Cowley County but got sick.

“My sister had moved to Haskell and she said KCKCC was right down the road on I-70 and I knew the Jayhawk was one of the best conferences so I called Coach (Jon) Oler and he invited me down to work out. He offered me a scholarship right after the workouts. Everything just fell in place. It was a big decision; I really like the environment and the community.”
 
Although divorced, Denny credits his parents with his success.

“My dad listens to all our games on the internet. He was a strict Army parent who kept me out of trouble. H was always the hardest on me of any of my brothers and sisters.. He was a baseball player and wanted me to play baseball. I didn’t start playing basketball seriously until I was in eighth grade.

“My mom was more on the emotional side. When I thought about going to the Oneida tribal school, she said no, that I had made a promise to the coach at Seymour. They both kept me going, I needed both.”

While Denny leads the Blue Devils in scoring with a 17.7-point average that is third best in the Jayhawk, he’s made an even bigger contribution to the Blue Devil success by convincing another Green Bay product, Dennis Tinnon, to come to KCKCC where he’s averaging a double double with 13 points and 10.6 rebounds per game.

“He’s the first from his family to go to college and I really want him to be successful,” says Denny. “I think he’s starting to realize how good he can be but it doesn’t matter if you don’t work hard.”

Denny took care of his basketball future before the season even started, signing with Jacksonville State in Jacksonville, Ala. “That helped me a lot, I can just go and have fun without putting pressure on myself to play well in hopes of being recruited. They call me about every day about how I’m doing, which motivates me more to play the best I can.”

By ALAN HOSKINS, Kansan Contributor

Kansas City Kansas Community College’s women got a landmark 15th win Saturday night but the Blue Devil men came up short in their bid for their 20th triumph.

Record free throw shooting helped rally the Lady Blue Devils to a 62-54 win at Allen County but the KCKCC men could not overcome a multitude of mistakes in a 62-54 setback.

The loss was particularly damaging, dropping the KCKCC men from a tie for fourth in the Region VI standings to sixth place. At 6-5, the Blue Devils trail Neosho County (7-4), Independence (6-4) and Allen (6-4) in the race for third and fourth place and first round playoff games at home.

Their three-game road winning streak snapped, the Blue Devils close out the road portion of their schedule at Independence Wednesday night before returning home for three in a row starting with Johnson County Saturday afternoon (2-4 p.m.).

Near flawless free throwing – 16 of 17, best in history – got the Lady Devils their 15th win, the most in Coach Valerie Stambersky’s 11-year career. Melanie Phipps made eight free throws in a row in a game high 15-point effort while Alyssa Rushton was 4-of-4 in adding 13 points. Laci Schreiber added 12 points and Sarah Craft 9. Phipps also led all rebounders with 12 for her first double double.

Limited to 6 of 26 shots for 23.1 percent and trailing 27-21, the Lady Blue Devils made a complete second half turnaround, hitting 15 of 26 shots for 57.7 percent along with 8 of 9 free throws to pull away for the 8-point win. The victory also tightened KCKCC’s hold on fifth place in the Region VI standings at 4-7 and 15-11 overall.

Incredible as it might sound, Allen County men missed only 10 of 39 shots for 74.4 percent, the best ever against a KCKCC team. Despite making 8 of 12 first half shots for 66.7 percent, the Blue Devils still trailed 35-22 as Allen County fired away at a blistering 73.7 percent (14 of 19). Mistakes sabotaged KCKCC’s 54.8 percent shooting for the game, 25 turnovers in contrast to Allen’s 16.

Dernnis Tinnon led KCKCC with 20 points and six rebounds while Melvin Gatson and Jonathan Wright added 11 points each. Wright was a perfect 5-of-5, Gatson 4 of 6 and Tinnon 8 of 12.
 

Story BY ALAN HOSKINS, Kansan Contributor

Photo BY LESLIE PAYNE

In their combined 30 years of coaching at Kansas City Kansas Community College, Jon Oler and Bill Sloan have seen a lot of improvement in players – but none more than that made by sophomore Andre Metoyer.

A native of Alexandria, La., where he played on two of the most successful Peabody Magnet High School teams in history, Metoyer averaged less than 10 minutes a game as a freshman on a sophomore dominated team in 2008-09, averaging 2.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 28 games.

But this year, Metoyer has been a mainstay on a Blue Devil team that is honing in on its third 20-win season in the last five years. Through the first 25 games, the 6-7, 220-pound forward is averaging 9.1 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting a crisp 53.9 percent from the field.

“Andre Metoyer has made the most improvement from his freshman to sophomore year than anyone we’ve ever had,” says Sloan, who is in his 15th season as a KCKCC assistant. “And I don’t believe you could ever find a better young man.”

“Andre has really improved in his strength,” concurred Jon Oler, who is also in his 15th season, the last 11 as head coach. “Last year, he got pushed around a lot because he was not strong enough. This year he’s holding his position, catching the ball and making moves on the block. He’ll also go after rebounds instead of letting the ball come to him, plays good defense and offensively has worked on his hook shot with both hands. Against Neosho, he made three in a row left-handed.”

Part of the reason Metoyer’s playing time was limited as a freshman was also that he was playing behind a couple of former Peabody teammates, forward Travis Fairley and point guard Derrick Howard, who were key members on Peabody’s state championship team in 2008 and recommended KCKCC to Metoyer. As two-year starters at KCKCC, Fairley and Howard both stayed in the Kansas City area to continue their basketball careers at Park University in suburban Parkville, Mo.

“Travis and Derrick told me KCKCC had a good program and Coach Oler was a good coach,” said Metoyer, who was the first man off the bench averaging seven points a game on a Peabody team that went 38-1 in his senior year. “We lost in the quarterfinals by one point,” remembers Metoyer. “Our point guard drove for the basket and there should have been a blocking call but they called a charge and we lost.”

Metoyer’s marked improvement over his freshman campaign at KCKCC came as a result of hours and hours of hard work in the KCKCC Field House and weight room during the summer. “I worked on everything I needed to,” he says. “I did a lot of lifting and a lot of work on my scoring offense, like how to post up and shoot the jump hook with my right hand.”

In double figures in scoring 11 times and rebounds six times, Metoyer has had four double doubles. The first came in a 68-64 win over Garden City as the Blue Devils posted their first Jayhawk Shootout sweep ever. On a night the Blue Devils were 1-of 17 from three-point range, Metoyer picked up the slack with 16 points and 12 rebounds at arch-rival Johnson County and followed it up with 16 points and 11 rebounds in a 69-64 win at Fort Scott and 9 of 10 from the field for 18 points as the Blue Devils won their third in a row on the road at Neosho County 88-66.

He followed that up with a career high 19 points and the game-winning basket with 1:14 to go in KCKCC’s 69-62 upset of Coffeyville Wednesday night.

Several of his baskets have come on dunks including five explosive jams as the ball was coming off the rim. “I love dunking on somebody,” says Metoyer, although he feels his biggest strengths are defensively and on the boards. “I love playing defense and I think I have a niche for taking the ball off the glass.”

With the season winding down, interest from four-year colleges is mounting. “There’s a ton of people calling about him,” said Sloan. “He will get something out of it.”

“I haven’t decided. I would love to go to a high NCAA Division II or a low Division I school,” he says.  However, his decision will hinge more on academics than basketball. A Business Administration major with a 2.8 grade point average, he’s looking towards a college that will help him establish a career in business.

But first there’s gaining momentum heading into the Region VI playoffs. “Our record (19-6) isn’t as good as it should be but we’re almost there. Hopefully we’ll perform like we should be performing.”

When he arrived in Kansas City, Kansas, it was not what  he expected. “At first I thought it was going to be a lot of farms but it’s not, it’s a big town or little city pretty much like Alexandria.”

And now he’s very much a member of the KCKCC family. “The coaches were a major factor in my staying over the summer,” he says. “They really take care of us. They treat us like a player but also like family with a lot of respect.”

PHOTO: Kansas City Kansas Community College sophomore forward Andre Metoyer of Alexandria, LA., is frequently above the rim for a shot or rebound as he has the Blue Devils on pace to surpass the 20-win mark in 2010. (Photo by Leslie Payne)

By ALAN HOSKINS, Kansan Contributor

When it comes to big wins in the Jayhawk Conference, they don’t get any bigger than the pressure-packed 69-62 haymaker Kansas City Kansas Community College landed on league-leading Coffeyville Wednesday night.

“Anytime you beat the first place team, it’s a big win,” said KCKCC Coach Jon Oler, who saw a 15-point second half lead evaporate. “We almost gave it away but we were able to execute down the stretch.”

The Lady Blue Devils were not as fortunate, leading 42-22 early in the second half only to drop a frustrating 61-55 decision.

The Blue Devil men’s win was especially big because it not only stretched their winning streak to four in a row but pulled them within a game of second place in the Region VI standings.

Deadlocked with Independence for fourth at 6-4, the Blue Devils trail Coffeyville (8-2), Cowley (7-3) and Neosho (7-3) with five games to go starting at Allen County (5-4) Saturday night (6 and 8 p.m.)  A showdown at Independence follows next Wednesday before KCKCC finishes with three in a row at home.

Leading 39-30 on 60.7 percent first half shooting, the Blue Devils (19-6) built their lead to 49-34 only to be outscored 17-1 over the next six minutes as Coffeyville went ahead 52-50 with 9:43 to go.

However, the Red Ravens would lead only twice more, the last at 62-61 before Andre Metoyer maneuvered inside for a layup that put the Blue Devils ahead to stay with 1:14 left. 

Dennis Tinnon followed with a layup on a pass from Metoyer for a 65-62 lead and Derrick Denny, the most accurate free thrower in the conference, sealed the win with four charity tosses in the final 30 seconds.

The key to the win was rebounding.

Coffeyville whipped the Blue Devils 37-21 in an earlier 79-69 win but this time KCKCC had the edge 37-35 with Tinnon grabbing 14 and Metoyer six. Denny led the scoring with 24 points although just 3 of 11 from three-point while Metoyer added 19 in one of his best performances.

Scott Fruehing added 9 points and Tinnon and Melvin Gatson 7 each while Tinnon also led in assists with a career high five.

The Lady Blue Devils picked the worst possible time for their biggest scoring drought of the season. Leading 55-48 on a Jerae David three-pointer with 8:00 to go, the Blue Devils failed to score again, missing their final 11 shots along with five turnovers and six fouls.

The drought came after arguably the Blue Devils finest first half. Shooting 56 percent, they led 40-22 at the break and built it to 42-22 only to shoot just 14.8 percent (4 of 27) the second half while committing 12 turnovers and 11 fouls, Even then the Red Ravens did not go ahead until the final 35 seconds 56-55.

Alyssa Rushton led KCKCC with 18 points while Melanie Phipps added 10 and Sarah Craft 8. Craft and Laci Schreiber each had nine rebounds to give KCKCC a 38-35 edge but it wasn’t enough to overcome 21 turnovers.

The loss dropped KCKCC to 14-11 overall and 3-7 in Region VI.

By ALAN HOSKINS, Kansan Contributor

With three wins in their last four starts, Kansas City Kansas Community College basketball teams will have momentum on their side as they head into the last 2½ weeks of the Jayhawk Conference basketball season.

An impressive 88-66 win at Neosho County Saturday made it three in a row on the road for the Blue Devil men while the Lady Blue Devils followed up an exciting come-from-behind 79-75 at Neosho with a 74-57  win over Saint Mary JV at Leavenworth Monday night.

At 14-10, the Lady Blue Devils are closing in on their first winning season under Coach Valerie Stambersky while the Blue Devil men (18-6) are within reach of their third 20-win season in the last five campaigns.

KCKCC will close out its road season with games at Allen County Saturday night and Independence Wednesday night before finishing with three in a row at home against Johnson County Feb. 20, Cowley County Feb. 24 and Fort Scott Feb. 27.

The Blue Devils got big performances from all five starters as they avenged an earlier 64-59 loss at Neosho. Derick Denny had 22 points including six three-pointers, Scott Fruehling a career high six three-pointers and 18 points and Andre Metoyer 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting to lead the scoring. Dennis Tinnon led rebounding with 16 along with 13 points for his seventh double in his last eight games and Melvin Gatson had nine assists and nine points.

The win came on the heels of an 81-62 win at Labette on Wednesday as Denny had 19 points, Metoyer 15 and 8 rebounds, Gatson 14 points and 5 assists, Jonathan Wright 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting and Tinnon 9 points and 10 rebounds.

The KCKCC women staged their biggest comeback of the season at Neosho Saturday. Trailing 47-37 at the half, the Lady Blue Devils shot 57.7 percent in a 42-28 second half.

Freshman Melanie Phipps of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, had a career high 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting to lead the way. Alyssa Rushton added 14 points, Shannon Carlin 10 points and 4 assists and Laci Schreiber a double double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Rushton led the way in the 74-57 win at Saint Mary with 22 points while Carlin added 10, Annie Rowan 9 and Phipps 8 while Schreiber again led the rebounding.

By ALAN HOSKINS, Kansan Contributor

If there are break through games for Kansas City Kansas Community College basketball teams this season, you may need to go no farther than the Blue Devils’ impressive sweep of Neosho County at Chanute Saturday night.

Avenging an earlier 64-59 home loss, the Blue Devil men pulled themselves within a half-game of a first division playoff berth with an 88-66 cruise while the Lady Blue Devils were staging their biggest comeback of the season with a 79-75 victory.

The sweep sets up what could be a big stretch drive for both teams, who are home for four of their final six Jayhawk twin bills starting Wednesday against powerful Coffeyville (5 and 7 p.m.).

At 8-1, the Coffeyville men lead the Jayhawk East over Cowley County (7-3), Neosho (6-3), Allen County (5-3), KCKCC (5-4) and Independence (4-4).

The Blue Devils got big performances out of all five starters as they built their overall record to 18-6 with their third win in the last four starts. Derick Denny led the scoring with 22 points including six three-pointers while Scott Fruehling had 18 points on a career high six treys and Andre Metoyer was 9-of10 in an 18-point effort that also included six rebounds.

Dennis Tinnon led the rebounding with 16 and added 13 points, his seventh double double in his last eight games, while Melvin Gatson dished out nine assists and scored nine points.

Despite shooting just 38.5 percent and making only 7 of 22 three-pointers in the first half, KCKCC still led 37-29 before a blistering 51-point second half highlight by 59.4 percent shooting form the field and 8 of 14 three-pointers (.571). The Blue Devils also had a season low six turnovers and led rebounding 46-38.

Four of KCKCC’s six Jayhawk East losses have come after the Lady Blue Devils had led at halftime but this time, it was the Blue Devils who roared from behind, wiping out a 47-37 deficit with 57.7 percent second half shooting to improve to 3-6 in the conference and 13-10 overall heading into a makeup game at Saint Mary tonight.

Melanie Phipps (pictured), a 6-0 freshman from Mount Pleasant, Iowa, led the way with far and away her best performance as she scored 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting from the field, grabbed four rebounds and had two steals.

Alyssa Rushton added 14 points and Shannon Carlin and Laci Schreiber 10 each. Schreiber also had 10 rebounds for a double double while Sarah Craft had nine points and seven rebounds.

KCKCC fell behind 47-37 despite shooting 50 percent but then limited Neosho to just 9 of 31 seconds half shots (.290) and no three-pointers in eight attempts.