5 Grizzlies Named to All-Conference Teams
COLBY, Kan. – With the Grizzlies season ending in the Region VI Championship, all-conference teams were released on Thursday and Butler saw five student-athletes named All-KJCCC.
COLBY, Kan. – With the Grizzlies season ending in the Region VI Championship, all-conference teams were released on Thursday and Butler saw five student-athletes named All-KJCCC.
Sophomores Freddie Wallace, Maycee James, Dayuna Colvin, Randi Harding and J'unti Franklin were all honored by the league. It marked the second straight season that Wallace and James earned honors as Wallace was the KJCCC Freshman of the Year as well as a first team honoree in 2023 while James was named to the second team and the All-Defensive team a year ago.
Click here for the full list of award winners.
Wallace, a sophomore forward out of Lincoln, Neb., was named first team All-KJCCC as she led Butler in both points (18.4) and rebounds (7.3) per game. She was second in the conference in scoring per game. Wallace became Butler's all-time scoring leader on March 6th in a win over Cowley at the Power Plant. She connected on a layup off an assist from Maycee James at the 5:58 mark of the third quarter, giving her 1,087 career points. She surpassed Jamillah Bonner's 1,086 career points she achieved from 2012-13. For her two-year Grizzly career, Wallace totaled 1,138 points. In the 2023-24 season, Wallace scored 20 or more points in 14 different games, helping Butler to a berth in the Region VI title game in Hutchinson. She was also named to the region VI All-Tournament team.
James, a sophomore guard out of Goddard, Kan., was named honorable mention All-KJCCC. She was a consistent force for the Grizzlies, leading them with 3.8 assists per game and a 3.2 steals per game which was third best in the league. James scored in double figures in eight games and recorded Butler's only triple-double of the season in a home win over NWKTC on Jan. 27th, totaling 10 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists.
Colvin, a sophomore guard from Kennesaw, Georgia, was named as an honorable mention selection as she was a standout two-way player for Butler this season, starting all 33 games. She averaged 10.4 points per game (second on the team), 3.5 rebounds per game and 2.5 assists per game. Colvin scored 10 points or more in 19 contests and had eight games with five or more rebounds. She shined defensively as well as in transition, helping spearhead Butler's fast-paced defense to offense attack on the fast break.
Harding, a sophomore guard from Mustang, Okla., was named as an honorable mention selection. She started 30 of Butler's 33 games and was the team's third highest scorer averaging 9.0 points per game to go with 3.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Harding scored 10-plus in 15 games and had 11 games with 5 or more rebounds. Harding scored a career-high 31 points in a home win over NWKTC on Jan. 27th, also adding seven assists. She closed the season out strong, scoring in double figures in all three of Butler's Region VI tournament games including a team-high 14 points in the Region VI championship loss to Hutchinson. She was named to the Region VI All-Tournament Team.
Franklin rounded out Butler's selections, also being named as an honorable mention honoree. The 5'8 Natchitoches, Louisiana, native averaged 8.1 points per game, 4.7 rebounds per game and 2.6 assists per game. Franklin was inserted into the starting lineup with about 10 games to go in the regular season and flourished in the role, scoring 10 or more in eight of the Grizzlies last 10 games. She also pulled down five or more rebounds in 17 contests from her guard position. Franklin scored a career-high 20 in a big road victory at Barton on Feb. 7th, shooting 6-8 from distance. She was also big in the Region VI quarterfinal victory over Seward finishing with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Butler's season concluded in the Region VI championship game as they did not receive an at-large bid to the NJCAA National Tournament in Casper, Wyoming. They end the season with a 25-8 overall record, 17-7 in conference play and 14-3 at home in the Power Plant. The Grizzlies were ranked in 12 of 14 NJCAA polls and were ranked as high as No. 3, the program's highest ever ranking, in the week three poll.