Owen Berk & Taylor Garica
Student Sports Media
When the Jayhawk Community College Conference met two years ago and decided to change roster and scholarship limits, everyone knew the rule would have positive and negative outcomes. Some football staffs were not happy with the rule change and thought it was going to shut the door on Kansas football players getting a chance at the next level. But basketball staffs had a completely different outlook on the rule change.
“We’ve been handcuffed in this league like this for 10-plus years.” Men’s Basketball Coach Bryan Miller said. “Back in the heyday, with all the stuff you see on the wall, the all-Americans, the conference championships and the things we had, that’s when everyone had an even playing field. When everyone else’s rules changed and ours stayed the same as a Division II, we couldn’t keep up with the top programs recruiting wise and just had to take what they left. But now we can go after some of those top level guys and I think we’ve got some.”
It’s clear when you walk through the Power Plant and see all the accolades that the Grizzlies racked up from 1970 through the ‘90s and how they dwindle as the years go on, that it’s been a long time since Butler has been able to compete with everyone on a national stage. Now with these rule changes coming through, Butler has a higher chance to land some top talent that would’ve never even taken the time to find where El Dorado is, let alone consider going there.
“I think there are some coaches that don’t like it, and football is a completely different animal.” Miller said.“They can still go get those top guys. You have to take into consideration the number of football programs across the United States. Florida doesn’t have (juco) football, which is crazy. Just about every school in the country has a basketball program, so for us, when there are 400 plus programs, we have to be able to compete against those guys. We’re in a really good league, we have great facilities and now that we can offer a little bit more money and the scholarship packages we can put together for these guys are a little better, we can compete on a higher level recruiting wise.”
In the first couple years since this rule change, time will tell whether it was a good thing for the Grizzlies or not. The potential for better teams and playing on that national stage is higher. But Miller will have a tougher time, because as the Grizzlies get better, so does the rest of the conference.
“With bringing all of these out of state kids, you’re getting a different demographic of kid.” Miller said. “You’re not necessarily getting some of the Kansas kids that have a higher academic appreciation, you’re getting players that are higher level basketball players but they’re non-qualifiers. For us, there’s some give and take. Yes the talent is better but now we have to do a better job of making sure those guys are doing the right thing in the classroom and taking care of business off the court. Maybe they don’t have the accountability piece that some of those Kansas kids have because their parents are just five to ten miles up the road.”