Sydney Mossman
Student Sports Media
Per usual, there are two sides to every story. This is the case involving the two opposing
viewpoints and arguments that come into play regarding the changes made to rules and
regulations set by the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) in which Butler is a part of.
The discussion of roster limitations regarding out-of-state athletes is no new topic for
the KJCCC. These rules effect the backbone of all community college athletics in the state of Kansas.
Two years ago, the conference decided to abide by NJCAA rules. This eliminated a Kansas player rule which had previously restricted the number of out-of-state players per school roster.
Many Butler supporters and Kansas natives such as myself were quite disappointed in
the conference when all restrictions were initially lifted. It was easy to feel as though coaches now had a recruiting free-for-all nationwide and that isn’t entirely false. This hurt the amount of Kansas athletes being recruited into the KJCCC, the conference in their own backyards.
Prior to 2016, coaches were required to abide by certain restrictions set by the
conference in their recruiting process. These restrictions limited the amount of out-of-state scholarship and roster positions coaches were allowed to offer per season. Each sport had different restrictions, but all were affected. The topic of rule changing often filters around the sport of football because there are dramatic, visible changes occurring in the conference through that sport specifically.
But as fans, supporters, players and members of the conference, we must not bind
ourselves to only one specific sport, as all have changed.
To use football as an example, because the fluctuation in numbers is so dramatic, in
2016, there were 314 Kansas players with roster spots in the KJCCC. After the KJCCC removed out-of-state roster restrictions that number dropped dramatically to just 103 in 2017, the first season post change and then just 62 this past fall season in 2018.
Across other sports, prior to the restriction being lifted, there were regulations about
international athletes. These varied by sport as well as division, so there was no uniformity whatsoever. This is a big reason that all restrictions were completely dropped rather than just amendments being made.
Though some may feel these restrictions have hindered Butler athletics, it should also
be known that some of our athletic programs have taken this to their advantage. The 2018-2019 men’s basketball 12-man roster consists of only two players from the state of Kansas.
Since 2016, complaints have come flooding in to the directors of the conference, mostly
from Kansans upset that fewer and fewer Kansas kids are being recruited by the conference.
Presidential representatives from each school in the KJCCC will be meeting this April to hear new proposals and make the decision to either set restrictions again, amending the previous rules or leave the conference the way it is: unrestricted.
A popular proposal being buzzed about would be a requiring all teams to have 25
percent of their roster made up of Kansans. In theory, this is somewhat of a happy medium that could please all the teams of the conference, but there is no way of knowing what could be decided until the meeting occurs and each college’s president votes.
