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Before the season began, Dodge City Conquistadors head coach Brady Trenkle said this team is one of the deepest he's ever coached, and he was very excited about the potential year that this group could put together.
So far, the Conqs' lofty expectations are playing out right in front of their eyes.
The basketball squad is currently 14-2 and tied for the Kansas Jayhawks Community College Conference Western Division lead with Seward County at 2-0.
Those two conference victories couldn't have been more impressive, as the Conqs took down then-No. 10 Hutchinson on the road by three, then turned around a couple of days later and beat No. 7 Barton County by five.
With those wins, the Conqs moved even closer to entering the top 20 in the national rankings, finding themselves five votes behind the 20th team.
But despite the Conqs' fine season and potential ranking, those accolades mean next to nothing unless this squad achieves its ultimate goal, which is locked behind closed locker room doors between Trenkle and his players.
Taking the next step
The next step for Dodge will be its contest tonight with Colby Community College as the Conqs attempt to reel off their third conference win in a row and maintain their current position in the KJCCC. Colby is currently 13-3 overall with a 1-1 conference record.
The Trojans are led by sophomore Vincent Dillard, who has led the team in scoring during both of their conference bouts. Not far behind Dillard in scoring is former Spearville Lancer Carson Konrade, who has already signed a letter of intent to play for Fort Hays State next season.
Both players will challenge the Conqs' perimeter defenders, but they might not be as quick as the team that Dodge City just beat in Barton.
Another player who will test the Conqs' ability to rebound is freshman Roman Szymanski from Gnezio, Poland. He comes in at 6-foot-11 and 250 pounds, which will challenge a team playing without James Milton, who was ejected from the Barton game due to technical fouls.
While Szymanski is not much of a scoring threat yet, he does provide a force in rebounding the ball — an area that Dodge City is looking to improve upon.
As for the Conqs, they are riding high after their two opening KJCCC wins and are bringing in one of the hottest players in the league in guard Tramel White, who was named one of the KJCCC Players of the Week. He averaged 23 points per game this past week during the Conqs' two wins, shooting 59 percent from the floor and averaging six rebounds and three assists per contest.
Also making his way back into the lineup is R.J. McGhee, who was sidelined for the final few games of 2011 with an injury. All he has done since his return to the court is put up back-to-back games of 20-plus points when the team needed him the most.
During the Barton contest, the Conqs lost three of their starters due to fouls. But McGhee and White stepped up in a big way, which has been the motto for this team up to this point.
It's all about getting the win, regardless of who has to step up to do it.
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. today against the Trojans. The Conqs' next contest will be Jan. 14 inside United Wireless Arena against Pratt.
Before the season began, Dodge City Conquistadors head coach Brady Trenkle said this team is one of the deepest he's ever coached, and he was very excited about the potential year that this group could put together.
So far, the Conqs' lofty expectations are playing out right in front of their eyes.
The basketball squad is currently 14-2 and tied for the Kansas Jayhawks Community College Conference Western Division lead with Seward County at 2-0.
Those two conference victories couldn't have been more impressive, as the Conqs took down then-No. 10 Hutchinson on the road by three, then turned around a couple of days later and beat No. 7 Barton County by five.
With those wins, the Conqs moved even closer to entering the top 20 in the national rankings, finding themselves five votes behind the 20th team.
But despite the Conqs' fine season and potential ranking, those accolades mean next to nothing unless this squad achieves its ultimate goal, which is locked behind closed locker room doors between Trenkle and his players.
Taking the next step
The next step for Dodge will be its contest tonight with Colby Community College as the Conqs attempt to reel off their third conference win in a row and maintain their current position in the KJCCC. Colby is currently 13-3 overall with a 1-1 conference record.
The Trojans are led by sophomore Vincent Dillard, who has led the team in scoring during both of their conference bouts. Not far behind Dillard in scoring is former Spearville Lancer Carson Konrade, who has already signed a letter of intent to play for Fort Hays State next season.
Both players will challenge the Conqs' perimeter defenders, but they might not be as quick as the team that Dodge City just beat in Barton.
Another player who will test the Conqs' ability to rebound is freshman Roman Szymanski from Gnezio, Poland. He comes in at 6-foot-11 and 250 pounds, which will challenge a team playing without James Milton, who was ejected from the Barton game due to technical fouls.
While Szymanski is not much of a scoring threat yet, he does provide a force in rebounding the ball — an area that Dodge City is looking to improve upon.
As for the Conqs, they are riding high after their two opening KJCCC wins and are bringing in one of the hottest players in the league in guard Tramel White, who was named one of the KJCCC Players of the Week. He averaged 23 points per game this past week during the Conqs' two wins, shooting 59 percent from the floor and averaging six rebounds and three assists per contest.
Also making his way back into the lineup is R.J. McGhee, who was sidelined for the final few games of 2011 with an injury. All he has done since his return to the court is put up back-to-back games of 20-plus points when the team needed him the most.
During the Barton contest, the Conqs lost three of their starters due to fouls. But McGhee and White stepped up in a big way, which has been the motto for this team up to this point.
It's all about getting the win, regardless of who has to step up to do it.
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. today against the Trojans. The Conqs' next contest will be Jan. 14 inside United Wireless Arena against Pratt.
