Both FSCC hoop teams picked low

WICHITA -- Both of Fort Scott Community College's basketball teams were picked to finish in the lower third of the Jayhawk Conference-Eastern Division as the pre-season coaches' poll was released at a pre-season media conference here Monday.

FSCC's men, led by second-year head coach Michael Cook, was picked to finish eighth in the 10-team division. They finished in that spot last year with Cook taking over only about a month before the start of the season after the abrupt resignation of John Burns. The Greyhounds were 5-13 in the division and had an 11-20 overall record.

There are only two men listed as sophomores on the FSCC roster: Guard Bryce Kemp (6' 0", Spencer, Okla.) and forward Ramell Taylor (6' 6", Detroit). Kemp averaged 9.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game last season. Taylor averaged 4.5 points and 4 boards.

Among the freshmen on the Greyhound roster is Fort Scott High School graduate Alex Barner (6' 4"), who is currently playing wide receiver for the FSCC football team,.

Fort Scott's women were picked to finish last in the East under new head coach Diana Couch, who took over the job late in the summer, a similar circumstance to what Cook dealt with last season. Couch was brought in from Friends University to replace Stasha Richards, who resigned.

Couch does have eight sophomores listed on her roster, six of whom were on last season's sixth-place team that went 8-10, 15-16. That group includes guard Valencia Kelly, who was the second-leading scorer in the Jayhawk Conference last season behind former teammate Leondra Doomes-Stephens. Kelly averaged 16.9 points per game, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.3 steals per game, which tied for 10th-best in the conference.

Also returning are Parsons graduate Tashanda Jackson (2.5 points, 4.0 rebounds), Topeka West grads Sherokee Bloodworth and Chioma Okoronkwo, Rose Hill grad Joy Hathaway and Houston, Texas, native Shadara Hampton. Brittany Demery is a sophomore post transferring in from Texas-Pan American and Kasey Teich is a Texas high-school graduate who comes over from Neosho County.

Coffeyville was picked to win the East for the men with defending champ Cowley second. Neosho County was chosen third followed by Independence, Johnson County, Allen County, Kansas City, Fort Scott, Highland and Labette. The bottom five were chosen to finish in the same order as last season

Seward County was picked to win the Western Division after finishing third last season. Hutchinson, which finished fifth, was tabbed for second place followed by Garden City. Defending champ Barton County was picked fourth and runner-up Butler was slotted fifth. Rounding out the choices are Cloud County in sixth, Pratt seventh, Dodge City eighth and Colby ninth.

Labette, last year's runner-up, was the choice to win the East for the women. They were followed by Independence, which was fifth last year, and defending champ Coffeyville. Cowley was picked fourth followed by Johnson County, Neosho County, Kansas City, Allen County, Highland and Fort Scott.

Hutchinson was chosen to win the West after finishing third last year. Seward County was picked to finish second as it did last season. Then Cloud County was picked third followed by Butler, Garden City, defending champ Barton County, Pratt, Colby and Dodge City.

The National Junior College Athletic Association also released its pre-season polls Monday. Central Florida Community College was picked No. 1 in the Men's Division I poll while Iowa Lakes was tops in the Division II poll. On the women's side, defending national champion Central Arizona, 35-0 last year, was picked to top the Division I poll while three-time defending national champ Kirkwood (Iowa) was selected on top of the Division II poll after going 36-1 last season.

Kansas teams tabbed in the polls were Coffeyville at No. 25 in the men's Division I poll and Johnson County at No. 6 in the Division II poll. Hutchinson's women were put at No. 6 with Independence at No. 20 and Cloud County at No. 23 in the Division I poll and Johnson County was placed 16th in the Division II poll.

In something of an odd development, no Jayhawk West men's teams were put into the national poll, even though that has traditionally been considered the stronger side of the conference.

Junior colleges can begin play Sunday and two men's teams will do so as Cloud County hosts the Kansas Wesleyan JV and Johnson County will entertain the William Penn JV. The first women's teams to play will do so on Monday with a slate of seven games.

Fort Scott's teams begin play on consecutive days next week. The men begin their season on Nov. 4 with a home game against Missouri State-West Plains. The women start with a road game at the St. Mary's JV in Leavenworth before hosting Barton County in a late-afternoon game on Nov. 7.

A twist to the Jayhawk Conference schedule this season is moving the Jayhawk Conference Shootout -- an event where all 19 conference teams play a series of games over a three-day period -- from the first weekend in December to the second weekend of January, although the event will remain in Coffeyville. Due to that switch, the first two games in conference play will be held in early December with games on Dec. 2, 5 and 9. Fort Scott will host Neosho County on Dec. 2 and travel to Coffeyville on Dec. 5. All of the Dec. 9 conference games involve West teams.