OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The month of January means one thing – start of conference play for the Kansas Jayhawk Division II Conference, and this year may be the most exciting and unpredictable in history.
Four of the six teams in the conference are ranked in the NJCAA D-II women's basketball rankings, including three top 10 and two top 5. The four teams have a combined W-L record of 64-5.
Kansas City Kansas leads the pack with a No. 2 ranking and an 18-1 record. Two spots back is Johnson County at No. 4, also sporting a mark of 18-1. Highland is at No. 6 and is one of only four teams still unbeaten with a record of 14-0, and Labette holds down the 16th spot nationally with a record of 14-3.
"The women's programs in our league are operating at a high level with good players and good coaches," said JCCC and two-time National Coach of the Year Ben Conrad. "I think we all sort of push each other at this point, which can be a grind at time, but I think any competitor would prefer this over a weak league."
The success of the program in the KJCCC this season is not an anomaly. Since the 2013-14 season, Kansas Jayhawk Conference programs have reached the NJCAA D-II Championship Game in five of the last six tournaments, winning the title three times.
Highland started the run finishing runner-up in 2014. Johnson County won the title in 2015, followed by Kansas City Kansas in 2016. The Lady Cavalier returned to title game in 2017, falling to Kirkwood, and last year, Kansas City Kansas captured their second championship with an 84-59 win over Union County.
"When you start talking about two-thirds of our league has a real chance to win a national title, it is pretty impressive,' Conrad said. "And while Fort Scott and Hesston have had some issues this year, they have been competitive recently as well.
All six team open their conference slate on Wednesday, January 22, and after one game, will determine who may have an inside track to the conference title. Kansas City Kansas travels to Parsons to face Labette. The Lady Cavaliers hit the road to take on Highland, and Hesston travels to Fort Scott. All three games are scheduled to tip at 5:30 p.m.
While Kansas City Kansas, Johnson County and Highland are among the top teams nationally, Conrad thinks Labette could sneak up on them.
"I think people are sleeping on Labette a little bit,' said Conrad. "They played a tough early schedule without a key player. I think they are a team to watch."
As for his Lady Cavaliers?
"Our goals are to keep getting better, stay together throughout and see what we can look like in March," Conrad said.