Rhymes lauded as best in conference, region

By Lucas Barlow
Sports Editor

Now that the basketball season is over for this year, the end-of-season awards are being announced.

Hutchinnson Community College sophomore J.J. Rhymes was named the 2018 Jayhawk Conference and Region 6 Player of the Year, some of the highest honors a Blue Dragon can win. His co-star Devonte Bandoo, along with Sal Nuhu, also achieved post-season conference and region honors.

Rhymes was Hutchinson’s leading scorer, as well as the conference’s, with 19.6 points per game. He almost shot 50 percent on the season, coming in at 47 percent. He finished in the Blue Dragon Top 10 scoring list, with 1,295 career points. Rhymes had 18 games of 20-plus points, six of which were 30 or more. He also scored a game-winning buzzer-beater against Butler on Dec. 6, to give the Blue Dragons an 82-80 victory. He tallied a career-high 41 points that night.

Bandoo was the other major offensive threat, as he became one of the most dangerous 3-point shooters in the conference. The sophomore averaged 16.7 points per game, which was third-best in the conference. He shot 49.3 percent on the season, and 43 percent from 3-point range, fourth best in single-season history. He also ranks 15th on the Blue Dragon career scoring list, with 1,079 points.

Like Rhymes, Bandoo was awarded first-team all-Jayhawk Conference and all-Region 6.

Nuhu is the last Blue Dragon to receive postseason recognition. He was awarded honorable mention all-Jayhawk Conference selection. Nuhu was a great defender for Hutchinson, as he blocked a team-high 56 shots this season, which was fifth in the conference.

He blocked five shots in a single game on Nov. 2 against Garden City. He also averaged 5.5 points and 5.3 rebounds a game, shooting 48.1 percent on the season.

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