HUTCH STARTS AT NO. 9 IN NJCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL RANKINGS
NJCAA PRESEASON DIVISION I
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| 1. Northwest Florida State 2. South Plains 3. Southern Idaho 4. Coffeyville 5. Eastern Florida State 6. Vincennes 7. Odessa 8. Salt Lake 9. Hutchinson 10. Florida SouthWestern State 11. Moberly Area 12. Indian Hills 13. Holmes 14. Western Nebraska 15. Trinity Valley 16. Missouri State-West Plains 17. Arizona Western 18. Daytona State 19. John A. Logan 20. Pearl River 21. Shelton State 22. Georgia Highlands 23. Connors State 24. Cape Fear 25. Ranger |
200 192 184 176 168 160 152 144 136 128 120 112 104 96 88 80 72 64 56 48 40 32 24 12 8 |
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
The Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team opens a new season on Friday as a Top 10 nationally ranked team.
The Blue Dragons will start the 2018-19 season at No. 9 in the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Rankings, which were released on Monday by the NJCAA.
This is Hutchinson's eighth consecutive preseason ranking and fifth-straight time in the Top 10. This is seventh time in the Steve Eck era for the Blue Dragons to be ranked in the Top 10.
Hutchinson has now been ranked in 48 consecutive polls and have been ranked in all but one of the last 77 rankings released.
Perennial Florida power Northwest Florida State is the preseason No. 1 pick. South Plains is No. 2 and College of Southern Idaho is No. 3. Jayhawk Conference foe Coffeyville checks in at No. 4 and Eastern Florida State is No. 5.
No other Jayhawk Conference team is in the preseason rankings.
Only forwards James Rojas and Rheaquone Taylor were on the floor for Eck last season when Hutchinson posted a 29-7 record and advanced to the second round of the 2018 NJCAA Tournament.
Eck will have 12 freshman and one sophomore transfer when the team begins its run for what could extend a school record of four-straight trips to the NJCAA Tournament.
Rojas (6-foot-8, 215 pounds, Jamestown, NY) averaged 10.6 points and 4.9 rebounds. Taylor (6-7, 215, Jamaica, NY) averaged 6.6 points and 5.0 rebounds. Guard Sequan Singleton was a redshirt last season.
The Blue Dragons open the 2018-19 season at home against Northeast Nebraska and NEO on Friday and Saturday, respectively, with both games beginning at 7:30 p.m.