STEVE ECK TO LEAVE BLUE DRAGONS AFTER NJCAA TOURNAMENT
reposted in part from HCC sports information
When the Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team’s run at the 2021 NJCAA Tournament ultimately ends, the Steve Eck era with the Blue Dragons will come to a close.
Blue Dragon men’s basketball’s all-time winningest coach, Eck announced on Monday that he will step down as Hutchinson’s head coach after the conclusion of the 2021 season.
“I am very humbled to have been the head coach at Hutchinson Community College for the last 12 years,” Eck said. “The administration and all of Blue Dragon Nation has been very supportive.
“My assistant coaches, former players and managers have been the backbone of this program. Without them, the success at Hutch CC would not have been possible.”
Eck’s final team at Hutchinson earned the program’s 37th Jayhawk Conference championship and its 22nd all-time appearance in the NJCAA Tournament. The Blue Dragons learned on Sunday night that they received an at-large bid to the 2021 NJCAA Tournament. The 2021 Blue Dragons take an 18-6 record into the NJCAA Tournament and was tapped as the No. 16 overall seed.
That means Eck’s storied collegiate coaching career will be completed at a place he grew up at … the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
“Growing up in Haven, the Hutchinson Community College head basketball job was a dream for me,” Eck said. “To actually be able to fulfill that dream was incredible. Thank you to all of the boosters and fans for their support.”
Hired as Blue Dragon men’s basketball’s 14th head coach on March 18, 2009, Eck snapped a 16-year drought of no playing in the NJCAA Tournament in 2013 when Hutchinson won its first Region VI Tournament championship since 1997.
That was the first of what became two Region VI titles (2013, 2015) and six NJCAA Tournament berths (2013, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21) for the Blue Dragons under Eck.
The 2015-16 season brought the Blue Dragons to a brink of a national championship. After a scintillating 84-81 overtime NJCAA Tournament semifinal victory over No. 10 Ranger, the Blue Dragons fell short in the championship game, losing to Salt Lake 74-64. That was Hutch’s first NJCAA championship game appearance since 1994.
One year later, the Blue Dragons were cutting down the nets at the Sports Arena.
Led by 2017 National Player of the Year Shakur Juiston, the Blue Dragons captured the program’s third national championship with a dominant 84-58 victory over Eastern Florida State in the championship game. To get to the finals, the Blue Dragons had to rally from 17 points down to defeat Odessa in the quarterfinals and win an intense semifinal battle with Northwest Florida State.
“The Steve Eck era brought so much excitement back into Blue Dragon men’s basketball,” said HutchCC Athletic Director Josh Gooch. “His record and accolades speak for themselves as a national championship and hall of fame coach.
“The players, coaches, administration and all of Blue Dragon Nation were fortunate to have Coach Eck lead the program for 12 years. We wish coach well as he starts a new chapter.”
With Hutchinson’s 2018 NJCAA Tournament opening-round victory over Cape Fear, Eck surpassed Charles Sesher as the program’s all-time leader in coaching victories with win No. 260. Eck is now 326-76 all-time in 12 seasons with the Blue Dragons.
Hutchinson is Eck’s fourth junior college head coaching job. Also having coached at Butler County, Redlands and Cowley, Eck amassed an NJCAA coaching record of 648-128 over 24 seasons. His 467 Jayhawk Conference/Region VI wins rank the Haven native in a tie for third on the all-time conference coaching wins’ list and a tie for fifth on the all-time Region VI wins’ list.
Eck was named the 2017 NJCAA Coach of the Year following the Blue Dragons’ national championship. The national honors were even bigger in 2019 when Eck was inducted into the NJCAA Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
