Every March, the city of Hutchinson gets an acute case of National Tournament Madness

That’s because the NJCAA Men’s National Division I basketball tournament has been contested in Hutchinson every year since 1949. So you can just imagine what the Sports Arena is like when the Blue Dragons are playing in the tournament – it’s a madhouse.

The first NJCAA Tournament was played in March 1948 in Springfield, Mo. After a financial disaster in Springfield, the tournament was moved to Hutchinson and Convention Hall (now known as Memorial Hall), and one of the most unique traditions in all of sports was born.

In 1952, the City of Hutchinson opened the Sports Arena, which has been home to the tournament since then. The Arena had a capacity of more than 4,800 at first, more than double Convention Hall. Now with a capacity of 6,200, the Sports Arena is a raucous venue when the Blue Dragons are playing in the NJCAA Tournament.

The Blue Dragons have played in the NJCAA Tournament 23 times, fourth most in tournament history. The Blue Dragons have a long and successful history in the NJCAA Tournament

After several years of coming close, the Blue Dragons finally won their first men’s basketball national championship in 1988. Six years later, Hutch was again crowned champion of junior college basketball. The Blue Dragons added its third national championship in 2017 with the largest margin of victory in a championship game after Hutchinson defeated Eastern Florida State 84-58.

Hutch has played in six championship games – 1949, 1973, 1988, 1994, 2016 and 2017. Officially, the 1973 national runner-up finish isn’t recognized because of the use of an ineligible player.

Here are some more staggering numbers about Hutchinson Men’s Basketball in the NJCAA Tournament:
+ Hutch is 51-27 all-time in NJCAA Tournament games played in Hutchinson.
+ The 51 victories are fourth most in history.
+ The 78 games played are fourth most in history.
+ Hutch has the second-most NJCAA Semifinal appearances with 11.
+ The Dragons have placed in the top eight 16 times, which is fourth most in history.

Thanks for the invitation
Hutchinson’s first tournament appearances in 1949 and 1957 were by invitation because teams traveling from each coast didn’t have the money to make the trip to Hutchinson. The Blue Dragons made the most of each appearance.

In 1949, Hutch entered the tournament with a less-than-impressive 10-9 record. But what transpired over those five days in March 1949 was truly the beginning of Blue Dragon basketball as their longtime and dedicated fans know it.

The 1949 Dragons, coached by Charles Sesher, reeled off three straight wins over Sayer (OK), rival Dodge City and Grant Technical School (CA). The Dragons moved on to the finals after a 55-53 victory over Grant when Rich Mercer hit a shot late after missing two free throws.

Hutch’s Cinderella story came to an end in the title game, losing to powerful Tyler Junior College (TX), 66-64. After trailing by six points with three minutes left, Hal Davis scored with 10 seconds left to pull within 66-64, but time ran out on the Dragons.

Coach Sesher announced his retirement during the 1957 season and even though the Dragons didn’t win Region 6, they got one last chance to send their coach out on a high note. When New York City Community College bowed out because of a lack of finances and an ineligible player, Hutchinson was offered an invite to fill out the field.

After a tough 52-51 loss to Eastern Arizona in the first round, the Dragons reeled off three straight victories over Miami (OK), Joliet (IL)., and Arkansas City Junior College to finish fifth.

The start of the glory years
Sam Butterfield was chosen to take over the Blue Dragons program before the 1957-58 season began. Butterfield wasted no time getting the Blue Dragons back to the NJCAA Tournament.

In his first season at Hutch, the Dragons qualified in 1958. After two blowout victories against Mesa (CO) and Snead-Boaz (AL)., the Dragons met up with Kilgore College (TX). Hutch fought back from nine points down late in the second half to tie the game, but wound up losing 83-78. Hutch finished third in 1958 with a 97-88 victory over Cameron (OK).

Butterfield’s teams went to four national tournaments in his nine-year Blue Dragon tenure, finishing sixth in 1960 and fifth in 1961.

Like Sesher, the Dragons found their way to the NJCAA Tournament in Butterfield’s final year as coach. Winning the 1966 Region 6 championship and once again two decisive wins in the first two rounds of the tournament, the Dragons were back in the Final Four. Cameron (OK), ended Butterfield’s final run at an elusive national championship with a 91-86 semifinal win. HutchCC finished third with a double-overtime 74-73 victory over Dallas Baptist.

The tradition continues
Hutchinson’s next three coaches all got the Blue Dragons to the NJCAA Tournament at least once, but Gene Keady leads all Hutchinson coaches with five tournament berths in his eight years.

Keady’s first four tournament teams finished 12th (1968), 12th (1969), sixth (1971) and eighth (1972). Keady’s 1973 team may have been the Blue Dragons’ best team to date. The Dragons came into the 1973 tournament with a 26-3 record and a spectacular player named Rudy Jackson.

The Dragons were on fire offensively in the first three games of 1973, scoring 107 points against Southeastern Iowa, 99 points against North Greenville (NC), and 83 against Olney Central (IL), in the semifinals. The Dragons wound up losing 80-61 to Mercer County (NJ), in what was the first of two straight national championships for that school.

But the story wasn’t over for the Blue Dragons.

Because of a false transcript received at Wichita State, the school Rudy Jackson transferred to, the Dragons were forced to vacate their runner-up trophy, even though Hutchinson Community College officials were unknowing of anything wrong. The transcript they received on Jackson was forged and it was later discovered that Jackson was never listed as a graduate from John Bowne High School in New York. A recruiter who brought Jackson to Wichita State’s attention, admitted to the wrongdoing.

After Keady moved on, both Dick Gisel and Gary Bargen had their turns bringing Hutch home to the national tournament.

In 1975, Gisel did just that, finishing eighth. Bargen did the same thing in the final year of his seven-year run, finishing third.

No. 1 Finally
When Dave Farrar came to Hutchinson, the Blue Dragons were 0-12 in NJCAA Tournaments. That all changed with one extraordinary week in March of 1988.

After defeating Jayhawk East rival Independence by 30 points at Independence to win the Region VI championship, the Blue Dragons had put together a school-record 33 wins entering the NJCAA Tournament. After early scares from Chipola (FL), and Shelby State (TN), the Dragons easily defeated Mattatuck College (CT), 86-63, in the semifinals to earn a third berth in the NJCAA championship game.

The Dragons overcame a 12-point first-half deficit to defeat Kankakee Community College (IL), 76-74. Future United States Olympian Steve Fritz scored a three-point play with 22 seconds left to give the Dragons the lead, but Hutch’s fans had to wait out a five-minute discussion about where a technical foul would be called on the Dragons because the fans littered the floor with debris after Kankakee’s final shot went over the backboard, but time hadn’t run out.

No technical was administered as tournament director Al Wagler deemed the Sports Arena a neutral court for all teams during the tournament, and the Dragons finally celebrated their first national championship in the tournament’s 41st year of existence. Maurice Brittian was named the ’88 Most Valuable Player.

Steve McClain was an assistant on that 1988 national championship team. When Farrar took the Middle Tennessee State job after the 1991 season, McClain was promoted to the top spot. Three years later, McClain added his name to the list of Blue Dragon legends.

With a one-two punch not seen at Hutchinson since the days of Richard Morsden and Stan Blackmon in 1971 and 1972, McClain had Roy Hairston (Purdue) and Ben Davis (Arizona) to overpower teams.

The Dragons defeated Bossier Parish (LA), and Chattahoochee Valley (AL), in the first two rounds, then had to defeat Connors State(OK) 80-79 in a semifinal war. Lucas Wagler hit two free throws with 14.7 seconds left to give the Dragons the win.

Then in the 1994 championship game against Three Rivers (MO), and Raider coaching legend Gene Bess, the Davis-Hairston combination clicked for 38 points and Davis hit two free throws with 4.1 seconds left to clinch the win.

Hairston was named the ’94 tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

Trip No. 16
The Blue Dragons had qualified for the NJCAA Tournament only once since 1994, but it may have been the least likely team to ever make it to the tournament.

Already with nine losses, Randy Stange’s final Blue Dragon team played rival high-powered Butler County – led by All-American Lee Nailon – in the Region 6 championship game. In what was one of Stange’s best coaching games ever, the Dragons upset the Grizzlies 66-56 at Wichita State’s Levitt Arena to earn the program’s 16th NJCAA Tournament appearance.

Hutch lost a hard-fought first-round game to San Jacinto, a team equal to Hutch in tournament prestige. An overtime victory over Wabash Valley, Ill., and a loss to Bossier Parish, La., rounded out the 1997 tournament run for the Dragons.

End of 16-year drought
After 1997, Blue Dragon fans had to endure 16 consecutive seasons of not seeing the Blue Dragons play in the Sports Arena in the month of March. That streak came to an end in 2013 when Steve Eck’s fourth team at Hutchinson snapped the dubious streak with a victory over Barton in the Region VI championship game.

The NJCAA Tournament, in 2013, took on a new look with a new 24-team, single-elimination format.

The 2013 Blue Dragons earned a Top-eight national seed, drawing the No. 7 seed and an opening-round bye. But HutchCC’s stay in the 2013 tournament was short-lived after Howard College – an upset victim in the regional round, but earned an at-large berth – defeated the Blue Dragons in the second round, 92-69.

A return trip in 2014 was cut short in the Region VI finals for Hutchinson, but the Dragons earned all-time tournament berth No. 18 in 2015. With the No. 6 overall seed, the Blue Dragons earned an opening-round bye and then earned the program’s first victory in a winners’ bracket game since the 1994 championship game with a second-round 73-61 victory over No. 3 Trinity Valley. Upstart Georgia Highland, which made it all the way to the 2014 championship game, upset the Blue Dragons64-59 in the quarterfinals.

The 2016 Blue Dragons were upended in the Region VI championship game by Neosho County. Still, the Blue Dragons had a body of work as the 2016 Jayhawk Conference champion to earn a spot in the national field of 24 as a zone qualifier. HutchCC was once again awarded a top national seed as the No. 7 seed.

The tournament opened for Hutchinson with another historical tournament team in Moberly Area. The Dragons took that second-round contest 84-74. In the quarterfinals, Hutchinson drew defending national champion and No. 2 seed Northwest Florida State. The Blue Dragons put on an offensive clinic in a 116-90 rout of the Raiders.

Hutchison faced Ranger College in the program’s 10th national semifinal and pulled out an 84-81 overtime victory in a tremendously physical battle. While the game was on, the grind perhaps took its toll one night later in the 2016 championship game. Playing its fourth game in four days, the Blue Dragons fell behind big early to Salt Lake, which was hardly challenged in its semifinal victory, rallied but fell short to the Bruins 74-64.

Back on top in 2017
The 2017 Blue Dragons rolled to the Jayhawk Conference championship, winning the league by five games with a 25-1 overall record. But the Blue Dragons had to hold their breaths on Selection Monday to see if they would be part of the 24-team field.

Hutchinson dropped a 91-88 overtime decision to Coffeyville in the Region VI Tournament championship game, missing out on the region's automatic qualifying bid.

The Blue Dragons were the fourth and final at-large team to receive a bid and then Hutch learned it would be the No. 4 overall seed with a 31-2 overall record. The Dragons also received an opening-round bye as a top-eight national tournament seed.

After a slow start against St Petersburg in the second round, the Blue Dragons had a huge second half and rolled to a 95-78 victory. The bad start against St. Petersburg was nothing compared to the quarterfinal game against hot-shooting Odessa College.

The Blue Dragons got off to a horrible offensive start as Odessa scored the first 13 points of the game and eventually led 28-11 with 9:53 to go. Hutchinson outscored the Wranglers 29-6 over the remainder of the half, holding Odessa scoreless over the final 6:03 to lead 40-34 at halftime.

Odessa had the better start to the second half with an initial 19-7 run to lead 55-47 with 12:49 to go in the game. Tied at 81 with less than 2 minutes remaining, Shakur Juiston scored and was fouled with 1:23 to play to give Hutch the lead for good. Juiston converted the three-point play and the Dragons led 84-81 and wound up winning 89-86.

The Blue Dragons had a 2016 rematch with Northwest Florida State in the national semifinals. Shakur Juiston's third-straight tournament double-double (18 points, 15 rebounds) and J.J. Rhymes' team-high 20 points led the Blue Dragons to its second-straight national championship game with an 88-79 victory over the Raiders.

The Blue Dragons got off to a tremendous start in the 2017 championship game against Eastern Florida State, especially on the defensive end. Hutchinson held Eastern Florida State to four points over the first 12 minutes of the game in building a 21-4 lead with 8:38 to go in the first half. Hutchinson held Eastern Florida State to 7 of 33 shooting in the first half (21.2 percent) as the Blue Dragons led 39-16 at intermission.

Devonte Bandoo led the Blue Dragons with 22 points on 10 of 17 shooting, including two 3-point goals to lead the Blue Dragons to an 84-58 victory.

Juiston was named the tournament's MVP with four double-doubles. Samajae Haynes-Jones and Rhymes were named to the 2017 All-Tournament Team.

Since the 2017 national championship, the Blue Dragons have been at-large selections in 2018, 2021 and 2022, winning the opening game, but falling in the second round in all three of those appearances.

The 2022 NJCAA Tournament appearance came with an all-tournament selection as Blue Dragon guard Angelo Stuart was selected, scoring 46 points in two games.