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In the world of community college sports, it is always difficult to tell what you are going to get from one year to the next, thanks to the two-year limit on student athletes.
Add a first-year head coach to the mix and you have an unpredictable situation for that program.
However, for the Dodge City Community College women's basketball program, that might be just what the doctor ordered.
Head coach Lucas McDonald has transformed the Lady Conquistadors into a contender during his first year at the helm, turning in an 8-6 non-conference record during the team's 2011 portion of the schedule.
Those eight victories are the most non-conference wins since the 2006-2007 season. Not only is that a record worthy of recognition, but the Conqs' eight wins in their first 14 contests are more than any Conq team has had in an entire season during the past five years.
Despite those accolades, McDonald knows his squad has room for improvement as they get ready for the beginning of their Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference schedule, slated to kick off tonight on the road against Hutchinson Community College.
"Looking back at the first semester, I feel we did okay, could have been better, could have been worse, we battled through some injuries and lots of adversity, especially in the second semester," he said. "We had kids sitting out due to various reasons, bumps and bruises, but we had kids step up and played well. We were able to come back and beat a couple teams that has beaten us the first time around, so I believe we showed some improvement over the course of that first semester and we're pretty pleased at 8-6 going into the second half."
McDonald would go on to talk about his team's will to be better than that 8-6 record, knowing that they have an opportunity to be one of the better Conq teams in recent memory.
"We're still not satisfied, the girls talked a lot about not being content with where we're at," he said. "Our conference is extremely tough, opening up with the number three team in the country tonight in Hutch on the road poses a huge challenge for us. Going into this semester we obviously need to stay healthy, we've got to continue to work on details and little things that give us a chance to be successful."
The team completed their first half of the schedule on Dec. 10 against Northeastern Junior College and have been on break ever since.
They recently began practicing again on Dec. 29, attempting to refocus their efforts on the imposing KJCCC schedule and healing the wounds that had been costly to this team earlier in the season.
"Over the break the girls did some different conditioning and what not while they were at home, hopefully it gave them a chance to come back mentally and physically refreshed," McDonald said. "We've been back now for a little bit, practicing and getting after it, preparing for conference play."
What the Conqs have been able to accomplish during the non-conference portion of the schedule is no small feat, with the eight wins surpassing the victory total of the previous four Conq teams' entire seasons.
McDonald attributes his squad's winning ways to their persistence on the court and their ability to win ball games as a cohesive unit, which should make them a contender for a playoff spot in a month or so.
"I think what we've done over the course of the first part of the season is just being persistent, continue to try to be consistent on a day in and day out basis and I think that's showed where we were able to grind out a couple of wins that could've went either way," he said. "A couple of those mental wins were on the road, which was huge for us, which was big for our confidence and a testimony to the kids that we have."
Tonight, the Conqs will face a challenge to begin their conference schedule, as they travel to take on Hutchinson and their third-ranked ball club, which will demonstrate where this Conq team is at coming out of the break.
For McDonald, they may pose some difficult challenges for Dodge, but if his team can control the tempo of the game and keep it low-scoring, his team has a good shot at keeping it competitive.
"They pose a lot of problems, they've got great size and shooters, they run the floor well and do a lot of things extremely well, which is why they are the number three team in the country," he said. "In order for us to win, we need to control the speed of the game as much as we can, grind it out with fewer possessions and value the basketball. They are going to come out and pressure us and if we can control the ball and limit possessions, we have a chance to be successful."
Tip-off for the Hutchinson contest is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., and the Conqs will be back at home on Jan. 7 as they will take on Barton County Community College inside the United Wireless Arena.
In the world of community college sports, it is always difficult to tell what you are going to get from one year to the next, thanks to the two-year limit on student athletes.
Add a first-year head coach to the mix and you have an unpredictable situation for that program.
However, for the Dodge City Community College women's basketball program, that might be just what the doctor ordered.
Head coach Lucas McDonald has transformed the Lady Conquistadors into a contender during his first year at the helm, turning in an 8-6 non-conference record during the team's 2011 portion of the schedule.
Those eight victories are the most non-conference wins since the 2006-2007 season. Not only is that a record worthy of recognition, but the Conqs' eight wins in their first 14 contests are more than any Conq team has had in an entire season during the past five years.
Despite those accolades, McDonald knows his squad has room for improvement as they get ready for the beginning of their Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference schedule, slated to kick off tonight on the road against Hutchinson Community College.
"Looking back at the first semester, I feel we did okay, could have been better, could have been worse, we battled through some injuries and lots of adversity, especially in the second semester," he said. "We had kids sitting out due to various reasons, bumps and bruises, but we had kids step up and played well. We were able to come back and beat a couple teams that has beaten us the first time around, so I believe we showed some improvement over the course of that first semester and we're pretty pleased at 8-6 going into the second half."
McDonald would go on to talk about his team's will to be better than that 8-6 record, knowing that they have an opportunity to be one of the better Conq teams in recent memory.
"We're still not satisfied, the girls talked a lot about not being content with where we're at," he said. "Our conference is extremely tough, opening up with the number three team in the country tonight in Hutch on the road poses a huge challenge for us. Going into this semester we obviously need to stay healthy, we've got to continue to work on details and little things that give us a chance to be successful."
The team completed their first half of the schedule on Dec. 10 against Northeastern Junior College and have been on break ever since.
They recently began practicing again on Dec. 29, attempting to refocus their efforts on the imposing KJCCC schedule and healing the wounds that had been costly to this team earlier in the season.
"Over the break the girls did some different conditioning and what not while they were at home, hopefully it gave them a chance to come back mentally and physically refreshed," McDonald said. "We've been back now for a little bit, practicing and getting after it, preparing for conference play."
What the Conqs have been able to accomplish during the non-conference portion of the schedule is no small feat, with the eight wins surpassing the victory total of the previous four Conq teams' entire seasons.
McDonald attributes his squad's winning ways to their persistence on the court and their ability to win ball games as a cohesive unit, which should make them a contender for a playoff spot in a month or so.
"I think what we've done over the course of the first part of the season is just being persistent, continue to try to be consistent on a day in and day out basis and I think that's showed where we were able to grind out a couple of wins that could've went either way," he said. "A couple of those mental wins were on the road, which was huge for us, which was big for our confidence and a testimony to the kids that we have."
Tonight, the Conqs will face a challenge to begin their conference schedule, as they travel to take on Hutchinson and their third-ranked ball club, which will demonstrate where this Conq team is at coming out of the break.
For McDonald, they may pose some difficult challenges for Dodge, but if his team can control the tempo of the game and keep it low-scoring, his team has a good shot at keeping it competitive.
"They pose a lot of problems, they've got great size and shooters, they run the floor well and do a lot of things extremely well, which is why they are the number three team in the country," he said. "In order for us to win, we need to control the speed of the game as much as we can, grind it out with fewer possessions and value the basketball. They are going to come out and pressure us and if we can control the ball and limit possessions, we have a chance to be successful."
Tip-off for the Hutchinson contest is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., and the Conqs will be back at home on Jan. 7 as they will take on Barton County Community College inside the United Wireless Arena.
