1988. That was 27 years ago. No one on Allen Community College’s mens basketball team was even born yet. The significance of 1988 and Allen basketball is that was the last time the Red Devils won the Jayhawk Eastern Conference.
“It’s been a long time since Allen has been in this position,” coach Andy Shaw said. “In 1988, I was one year old. So, it’s been awhile. We’re excited about the opportunity and we’re playing a very good team in Coffeyville. They’re ranked No. 18 in the country. So, we need a lot of support from our students and the community.”
Wednesday night the team has a chance to nullify the past 27 years by beating Coffeyville for the conference title. ACC previously beat Coffeyville on the road 88-78 on Jan. 31. Since then, the Ravens have been on a five-game winning streak and have a 24-5 record.
“Their leading scorer Darrion Strong, a guard, is a very good player. He can shoot in very well from the perimeter and score at the rim. They’ve got several bigs on the inside,” Shaw said. They’ve got a big kid in Maurice Kirby, who’s signed to play at Loyola-Chicago. He’s big physical, around the rim.
“They’re talented as they always are. Coach Jay Herkelman does a great job of coaching those guys. It’s going to be a dog-fight, both teams playing for the Eastern Conference. I expect our team to bring their best and Coffeyville to bring their best.”
Allen has already secured a first round bye in the region playoffs and won’t play again until March 5 at Koch Arena in Wichita. That means this is the last home game of the season for the Red Devils. Shaw said he expects there will be a playoff-atmosphere surrounding Wednesday night’s game.
“It will have that type of atmosphere even though it’s just the regular season home game,” Shaw said.
Not only is this the last home game for the season, it’s the last home game for sophomores Courtney Stockard, Josh Sweet, Jordan Nanton and John Cornett.
“They’ve been great. Josh and Courtney have been the leaders of this team since day one,” Shaw said. “But, Jordan has provided sophomore leadership as well, he brings a toughness to this team. As has John Cornett, he’s gotten better throughout the year and helped us in several games. We’re going to miss those guys next year and try to send them out with a win in their last game at home.”
Although they’ve had a stellar regular season, the Red Devils have had their ups and downs.
“It’s been good for the position we’re in, but like every season it’s been like a roller coaster ride. We got on a win streak of five games in a row, then lost a couple,” Shaw said. “You try not to get too high when you win, and not get too low when you lose. We try to stay in the middle. Our guys have done a great job of being resilient and fighting through adversity because there’s definitely been a lot of that.”
The see-saw year still has a big prize at the end: The conference title.
“I told the team that they get to write their own history. It means a lot to these kids. We want to send our sophomores out with a win in their last game in Iola,” Shaw said.
Allen (16-13) tips off against Coffeyville at 8 p.m.
The women play at 6 p.m. The team will say goodbye to sophomores Erika Essman and Kailey Cleaver.
ACC men look for first conference title in 27 years
