HUTCH STARTS AT NO. 9 IN NJCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL RANKINGS

Rheaquone Taylor and the Blue Dragon men's basketball team start at No. 9 in the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Preseason Rankings
Rheaquone Taylor and the Blue Dragon men's basketball team start at No. 9 in the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Preseason Rankings
Information Box

NJCAA PRESEASON DIVISION I
MEN'S BASKETBALL RANKINGS

  Points
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.