By Bob Branan
HUTCHISON, Kan. — Connors State College’s preparation for its second consecutive appearance in the NJCAA National Basketball Championships has been the same as it has used all season and in winning the Region II Tournament to advance to this point.
The Cowboys have been in Kansas since Sunday evening and coach Bill Muse has employed the “all business and team unity” approach.
The Cowboys (30-2) meet Walters State, Tenn., (21-8) in a first round game this morning at 11 a.m. The game will simulcast on NJCAA.org.
The opening round of the 16-team tournament completes at 1 p.m. when Howard, Texas (29-2) plays SE Illinois (22-9) at 1 p.m. Those winners meet at 8:30 p.m. Thursday.
Howard was ranked No. 2 in the nation and Connors No. 4 in the final NJCAA ratings. They are the only top 10 teams in the tournament.
“We had three goals when the season started, and we knew we had to look to each practice and each game with a purpose,” Muse said. “We knew there are no shortcuts to the type of season we wanted and we knew the only way to achieve our goals were with hard work and being unselfish.”
Two of the goals have been realized, a conference and Region II championship, leaving the biggest prize of all within reach. Connors has made six national appearances under Muse with four fourth place finishes — including last season. Connors has one national championship to its credit in 1990, the year before Muse arrived in Warner.
Muse said Walters will be a “tough foe.” He said it is comparable to Seminole — the team the Cowboys beat in the region finals.
“I’ve looked at film, and they are well balanced,” Muse said.
In addition to Muse and assistant Jeff Johnson, three sophomores on this year’s team experienced Hutchinson last season. And for All-American candidate C.J. Washington (6-foot 7), the experience was bitter sweet.
“We finished fourth, and that was good, but we’ve dedicated ourselves to bigger things,” said the Atoka sophomore. “The way I look at it, Orlando (Brown), Ray (Jones) and myself have some unfinished business.”
Each of the three sophomores have contributed mightily to the Cowboys success, especially in the final run to the nationals in the Region II tournament.
Washington — the tournament’s most valuable player — had 52 points and 54 rebounds for the tournament. His point production put him over the 1,000 mark for his career — only the seventh Cowboy to reach that honor and the first since Shannon Long in the 1995-96 seasons.
Brown, after fouling out in Connors’ first Region II win over Northern-Tonkana, came back with stellar play from the point-guard position in the Cowboys overtime win over Murray State and Seminole in the finals.
“Each has stepped up in their own way through-out the season to help us get to this point,” Muse said of his sophomores.
Giving Connors some added depth for the nationals will be 6-7 freshman Jarvis Garner, who returns to the Cowboys after missing the regionals with pneumonia. He spent two days in the hospital.
“He’s still a little weak, but he will play,” Muse said.
Taking his place in the starting lineup will be freshman Jeremy Washington, a starter for 20 games before Garner took his place.
