April 4, 2022

Broncbuster men's basketball wraps up special year

The Broncbuster men's basketball team had a season for the record books.

When Bill Morosco was introduced as head coach on May 11, 2021, he had less than 160 days to get a team put together before the start of the 2021-22 campaign.

And there weren't a lot of believers, as Garden City was picked to finish ninth in the preseason conference poll. But with a revamped lineup, plus the return of All-Conference performer, Mohamed Diarra, the Broncbusters took fourth in the regular season standings and were a missed free throw away from grabbing an at-large bid to the national tournament.

Garden City scored 100 points or more in four straight games to start the season, a first in program history, outscoring their opponents 440-220. They started 9-0 for the first time in six years and won nine straight conference games following the Christmas break. They also posted three wins over ranked opponents, including a 132-127 thriller at Hutchinson. More impressively, Morosco's bunch took two of three matchups from defending national champion Coffeyville.

And the numbers were staggering. The Broncbusters finished top 10 in the nation in scoring at 91.3 points per game, went 16-10 in the grueling Jayhawk Conference and posted an 18-10 mark against Division-I opponents. They were also ranked in the top 20 for the first time since 2005, reaching as high as No. 12 in the NJCAA rankings and No. 12 in the media poll en route to their second Region VI semifinal appearance in the past four years.

School records:

Most points scored: 132 Points at Hutch

24 Rebounds: Mohamed Diarra

Seven 7 Steals: Micah Octave

Most steals in a semi final: XX

Most 100+ points games back to back in school, KJCCC or NJCAA

Players:

First Team All-American: Mohamed Diarra (first since 2009)

NJCAA POTW: Tone Hunter (2X)

KJCCC POTW: Mohamed Diarra (2X)

Hoop Dirt NJCAA COTW: Bill Morosco

Region VI All Tournament Team: Mohamed Diarra (most improved player)