With the seasons approaching for the basketball campaigns at North Central Missouri College, the preseason rankings from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) have been released for Division Two. The NCMC men, just seven months removed from the program’s first trip to the national tournament in Danville, Illinois, are starting the new season just outside of the Top 20.
Coach Jeremy Esry’s squad has 14 points in the national rankings, tied with 23rd in the country with Edison State of Ohio. Arkansas State Mid-South and Cuyahoga (Ohio) are just ahead of NCMC, with 17 points in the poll, tied for 21st.
The team that beat NCMC in the Pirates’ national tournament debut, Kirkwood Community College of Iowa, is ranked #1 to begin the 2019-2020 season, with six of seven first-place votes and 133 points. The other first-place tally went to second place Johnson County Community College of Overland Park, Kansas. South Suburban (Illinois) is third with 118 points, followed by Pima (Arizona) at 91, and Highland Community College (Kansas) with 88 points.
A consistent North Central foe in past regular seasons, the John Wood Community College Trail Blazers out of Quincy, Illinois, are ranked 14th in the country. NCMC is the only Region 16 men’s basketball program with mention in the preseason D-2 national rankings.
The Pirates open their regular season at the McDonald’s Classic at State Fair Community College in Sedalia, playing the Missouri Valley junior varsity at 3 o’clock on Friday, November 1st, and the host State Fair Roadrunners on Saturday night, November 2nd, at 7:30. Potential broadcast plans for the Saturday game will be announced as that date approaches. The home opener for Coach Esry’s squad will be Friday, November 8th, taking on the Graceland JV in an 8 o’clock tip at the Ketcham Community Center.
Coming off a trying season that saw limited depth and a difficult record, the NCMC Lady Pirates looked poised for a rebound in 2019-2020, with a much deeper roster, particularly with the insertion of size both into the starting lineup and the bench for Coach Jenni Croy. While not mentioned in the preseason Division Two poll, signs coming out of a pair of preseason scrimmages in October have been promising for the North Central women.
One more scrimmage remains for both Pirate teams, with the Lady Pirates traveling to Parkville to battle Park University tonight (Wednesday night) at 6 o’clock, while the Pirate men scrimmage with Central Christian College of the Bible on Friday night, October 25th.
The Lady Pirates open the regular season with competition against the ultra-competitive Jayhawk Conference, traveling to the campus of Johnson County Community College in Overland Park the first weekend of November, playing the Fort Scott Greyhounds on Friday, November 1st at 3:30 and the Johnson County Cavaliers on Saturday, November 2nd at 2 o’clock. The Lady Pirates home opener, on Friday, November 8th, will see NCMC take on the Graceland JV at 6 o’clock.
As broadcast plans are locked in for NCMC games, keep tuned to the PAR Broadcast Group stations and the Broadcast Schedule section of KTTNSports.com for specific details on game times, broadcasts, and locations!
