Johnson County clinches Men's DII title with 63-49 win over Kirkwood
March 21, 2009
All Photos by Susan Joy McKinney, Danville Commercial News
Click here for complete tournament bracket and box scores
Story by Tyler Cundith, JCCC Sports Information Director
OVERLAND PARK, KS - The Johnson County Community College men's basketball are champions of NJCAA Division II basketball - again!. The Cavaliers, led by head coach Mike Jeffers, captured their second NJCAA Division II National Championship by defeating Kirkwood Community College, 63-49, at Mary Miller Gymnasium in Danville, Ill. JCCC also won the 2001 national title.
Five months ago, Jeffers gave his 2001 National Championship watch to his mother to be placed on his father who had passed away. His mother asked him if that is what he really wanted.
"I told her that dad and my brother would be watching, and I just had the faith it would happen again sometime. I just didn't think it would happen five months later," an emotional Jeffers said. "I am so proud of these guys. These guys learned to come together and learned to to trust each other. I told our guys before the game that the hard part is over. Getting here is the hard part, now this is the fun part."
Defense was the key to the Cavaliers championship run. JCCC held their opponents to an average of 55.7 points and a shooting percentage of .378.
"Coach (Jeffers) knew we had the offensive firepower, but he told us it would be our defense that would win a championship," said JCCC sophomore Nafis Ricks, the tournament's MVP. "We've worked really hard and came together as a team."
Ricks (#2 in left picture) led the Cavaliers with 21 points in the final against Kirkwood, and finished the tournament average 16.3 points. Also in double figures were freshman forward Kenny Moore with 13 points and freshman guard Jared Henry with 11. Both players joined Ricks on the all-tournament team.
Moore averaged 14 points and let JCCC with nine steals all while playing with an injured shooting hand. In the opening round against Monroe, Moore had his leg cut from under him and he landed hard on his right wrist. He went to the line, shot an air ball, then missed the second shooting with left hand.
"I thought it was broken," Moore said. "But I got it taped and sucked it up. Nothing was going to stop me. I had never had won a championship before I came to JCCC. This is the best move in my life coming to JCCC."
Henry averaged 12 points, and hit 5-of-11 3-pointers, many coming at critical times in the game. The freshman from St. Thomas Aquinas really elevated his play as the season progressed, and emerged a key go-to player down the stretch.
"It's all about the confidence to take those shots," Henry said. "I had the confidence at the end of the season, but I didn't' when the season began."
The Cavaliers used an assortment of defenses which shut down Kirkwood. JCCC played a 2-3 zone most of the time, but switched to a 1-3-1 early in the second half. The Eagles scored just three points in the first seven minutes, 48 seconds of the second half as the Cavaliers opened a 34-26 lead. JCCC secured the national title by going on a 12-2 run at the four minute mark opening up a double-digit lead. A minute later, sophomore Rory Spencer had a monster dunk in transition that was an exclamation point to the Cavaliers building a 16-point advantage.
The Cavaliers reached the championship game by downing a physical Phoenix College squad Friday night, 72-56. Defense was the key element for JCCC, as the Cavaliers held the Bears scoreless for seven minutes, 50 seconds in the second half, while going on a 13-0 run that extended their lead to 21 points. Johnson County frustrated Phoenix into 20 turnovers converting them to 22 points.
Sophomore forward Blake Baird recorded his best game as a collegiate players, scoring a game-high 22 points lead the Cavaliers. Baird hit 9-of-12 shots from the field, and was a perfect 4-of-4 at the line. Ricks followed with 12 points, and Moore chipped in 10 points.
Sophomore Fred Patton had a solid second half, scoring all eight of his points. Henry finished with seven points, freshman Darren Givhan added six and Spencer with five.
Johnson County opened the tournament with a 75-62 win over Monroe Community College. The Cavaliers got Johnson County had a screaming start to the game, jumping out to a 5-0 lead within the first minute, and extended their lead to 9-0 in the second minute of the game. The Cavaliers eventually built their lead to 24-8 with 10 minutes left in the half. Monroe did find its shooting touch, and closed the gap to eight points by halftime, 41-33.
JCCC came out of the break and picked up right where the left off, going on a 6-0 run. However, Monroe was able to keep the Cavaliers lead from getting out of hand, and after several key defensive stops and JCCC turnovers, Monroe were able to cut JCCC's lead to just two points with 10 minutes remaining.
The Cavaliers were able to regain their composure, hit some key buckets and sealed the victory by going a perfect 8-for-8 at the line the final two minutes.
Moore led JCCC with a game high 19 points. He hit 6-of-10 shots, including a 3-pointer, and was 6-of-10 at the line. He also had three assists, two blocks and four steals.
Ricks and Henry followed with 17 points each. Both players hit 6-of-7 shots from the field. Ricks also was 5-of-6 at the line. Henry hit both his 3-point attempts and was 3-of-4 from the charity stripe.
Other key efforts were turned in by Baird and Spencer. Baird nearly had a double-double, finishing with 10 points and eight boards. Spencer also nearly posted a double-double, finishing with nine points and game high 10 rebounds. As a team, the Cavaliers shot 60 percent from the field.
Jeffers now stands 7-0 in national tournament as the Cavaliers head coach. He was named the National Coach of the Year following his team's run through the tournament.