OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced its Victory Club honorees for the 2021-22 season, and Johnson County head women's basketball coach Ben Conrad landed on the prestigious list after securing his 500^th career victory on March 19 against North Central Missouri at the NJCAA D-II National Tournament in Port Huron, Mich. 

The WBCA Victory Club honor is bestowed annually on each WBCA-member head coach who achieves a milestone of 200, 300, 400, 500 or more career victories during the current season on the level of competition at which they currently coach. Victories recorded at differing levels of competition (such as scholastic and collegiate) cannot be combined. 

Last season, Johnson County opened with 20 straight wins, and finished the regular season 28-1, capturing the KJCCC D-II title. His team went on to win the Region VI/Plains District title, defeating all three teams by double digits, and place fifth at the NJCAA D-II National Tournament. He also coached NJCAA, World Exposure Report and WBCA All-American and KJCCC D-II MVP in Kierra Prim, World Exposure Report All-American Jaylen Townsend and the KJCCC Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year in Nariyah Simmons. In all he had five total all-conference and All-Region/District selections and he was named the Conference Coach of the Year. 

Also during the season Conrad reached another milestone in his 14-year career with the program notching his 400th career victory at JCCC February 21 at Allen. Even more impressive he only needed 457 games to get it done. Conrad's .875 winning percentage ranks among the top in NJCAA women's basketball.

Through 20 seasons as a college head coach, Conrad has amassed a 500-150 (.769), including a 407-58 (.875) slate in 14 seasons at Johnson County.  In 17 seasons as a community college coach, Conrad has averaged 28.1 wins per year with an overall mark of 478-85 (.849). 

Conrad tenure boasts nine 30-win seasons, eight consecutively, a first in NJCAA women's basketball history, a NJCAA Division II National Championship and school record 34 wins (2015, 2022), two national runner-up finishes (2017, 2021) and four other NJCAA D-II Tournament appearances (2011, 2012, 2013, 2022) and seven KJCCC conference titles (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022). His teams have finished as the number one or number two ranked team in the country seven times and his teams have been ranked in the top 10 over 90 percent of his tenure, including a span of 98 consecutively. He also has held the No. 1 ranking 60 times, including all 12 polls in 2015-16, the first seven regular season polls in 2018-19, the final three weeks in 2020-21 and fives weeks in 2021-22. 

Conrad also has accumulated many awards and recognitions since taking over the program in 2008. He was named the United States Marine Corps/WBCA Junior/Community College of the Year in 2016, Spalding® NJCAA Women's Division II National Coach of the Year and NJCAA Division II Coach of the National Tournament in 2015, Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Women's 2-Year Coach of the Year in 2021, World Exposure Report Women's D-II Coach of the Year in 2021, NJCAA Women's District Coach of the Year (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2021, 2022) and the Kansas East Jayhawk Conference Women's Coach of the Year (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022). He has coached 16 NJCAA All-Americans, 14 WBCA All-Americans, four World Exposure Report All-Americans, seven National All-Tournament selections including one MVP, 45 All-Region VI performers 46 All-Jayhawk Conference picks, five conference MVP selections, three conference Defensive Player of the Year, and two conference Freshmen of the Year selections. Off the court, he has had 19 student-athletes recognized for academic excellence by the NJCAA.

 Here are the 2022 WBCA Victory Club honorees: