02/07/11

Story by Tyler Cundith

Jeffers Induction to Hall of Fame

M. Basketball – Jeffers to be inducted to JCCC Hall of Fame

OVERLAND PARK, KS – Johnson County Community College head men’s basketball coach Mike Jeffers will add another honor to his illustrious career Saturday, Feb. 12, when he is inducted to the JCCC Athletics Hall of Fame. The ceremony will take place prior to his team’s game versus Allen Community College. Jeffers becomes the 45th individual to earn Hall of Fame honors at JCCC.

Jeffers is in his 20th season at Johnson County, and he ranks as the program’s all-time wins leader, and ranks third all-time in Kansas Jayhawk Conference history. He began this season with 319 career wins at Johnson County and 403 for his career. The Cavaliers stand 15-7 to date.

In his 19 seasons at JCCC, Jeffers has led the men’s basketball program to seven 20-win campaigns, including a school record 30 wins in 2000-01 and the fourth-best season with 26 wins in 2008-09. Both those seasons ended with Jeffers’ teams cutting down the nets as the NJCAA Division II National Champions.

Jeffers has also won six regional championships, and his teams have appeared in the regional title game 11 straight years. He has earned the Region VI D-II coach of the Year six times, and was the East Jayhawk Coach of the Year in 1994. He also has been selected the NJCAA D-II and KBCA Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2009 and was the NABC National Coach of the Year in 2009. In 2010 Jeffers received the Georgia Retired Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award.

Jeffers hard work and diligent recruiting have been rewarded by producing 67 players who eventually went on to sign upper-division scholarships. Fifty-seven of those players have come during his career at JCCC. Also during his tenure as the Cavaliers coach, 37 of his players have been selected as all-conference performers. He also has had 41 All-Region VI selections, six national All-Tournament selections, two National Tournament MVPs, one conference player of the year, the 2001 and 2009 NJCAA D-II Player of the Year and one NABC State Farm National Player of the Year selection. Also, eight of his players have garnered 10 NJCAA All-America honors, including three first-team selections, and three of his players have earned induction into the JCCC Athletics Hall of Fame.

Jeffers came to JCCC from Mercer University in Macon, Ga., where he spent two seasons as associate head coach. Before coaching at Mercer, Jeffers served four years as head coach and athletic director at Brewton-Parker College, compiling an impressive 84-43 record, and two appearances in the NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson.

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