Blue Dragons Men’s Basketball Hopes the Best is Yet to Come

By Chris Lachenmaier
Sports Editor
IG: @chrissylach

The Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team has had their ups and downs, but the Blue Dragons are not going back down to anyone.

Blue Dragons coach Kyle Fisher has great plans for the Region 6 Tournament. While the Blue Dragons are just 9-14 in Jayhawk Conference, they have beaten co-first place Barton swept third place Dodge City and fourth-place Coffeyville. Still, despite the wins, the Blue Dragons are in 10th place.

“We hit a very bad stretch in January, and we really are just learning how to play without Kyrel Shaw, who was our leading scorer and second-leading rebounder at the time,” Fisher said. “We knew that there was going to be an adjustment period.”

Finding a new personality for the Blue Dragons is what Fisher has been searching for.

“Your team must find a new personality when you lose that,” Fisher said. “And I think that we have made it through that stretch, and we are starting to play with an edge, and we are starting to play with a little bit more focus. I do think this team has had a lot of upsides, as a high ceiling, to where we can make some noise in the regional tournament. We are 6-2 of us against those top four teams. So, we can beat anybody if we are consistent in our approach and production.”

Daleron Thomas, a sophomore guard likes how the team has played lately.

“It’s the last couple of games in the season, so we got to bring the juice,” Thomas said. “My teammates keep on finding me open. Everyone is going to have to come ready to play we just must stay focused its going to be one of those games where everyone must be locked in.”

Along with Daleron Lolo Rudolph, another sophomore guard, said he thought the Blue Dragons could be a dangerous team.

“I feel like if we stick to the script, which is aggressive and playing our game, getting rebounds, focusing on defensive end, our offense will translate and it will all just work in our favor,” Rudolph said. “I feel like we have had a deep bench, depth wise. We have guys that are ready to play and want to play. So, it’s just a matter of time and I think it’s a perfect time for them to step up.”

With the playoffs starting this weekend, the Blue Dragons appear to be hitting their stride, having won four of five.

“It’s also the most fun time of the year,” Fisher said. “I mean, if you win or go home, everybody puts it on the line trying to advance through the best regional tournament in the country. We have gotten more production from the bench in the last three weeks and we’re playing eight guys, we have a new lineup where we play four guards around one forward, and that can help offensively play with a lot different pace, play faster and be more dynamic with the ball. We are getting good production off the bench. I think the guys are finding a new identity and playing together.”

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