Allen Community College’s basketball teams may soon become more familiar with Butler Community College.
Member schools in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference are expected to decide within the next week whether Butler should move from the conference’s western division into the eastern division for basketball.
Realignment would help alleviate an imbalance in the conference makeup, necessitated by the move more than two years ago by some Eastern Division Schools to play at the Division II level, explained Bryce Roderick, KJCCC commissioner.
The difference between Division I and Division II centers on the amount of financial aid student-athletes can receive from their respective colleges.
Divison I schools may offer scholarships covering tuition, books, fees and room and board. Division II schools offer financial aid only for tuition, book rental and student fees.
While all Jayhawk Conference schools are in the same boat in that they do not pay for room and board, many of the schools have decided to remain at the Division I level.
In the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division, Allen, Coffeyville, Cowley County, Independence, Labette and Neosho County are in Division I. Fort Scott, Highland, Johnson County and Kansas City Kansas are in Division II. Other nearby Division II schools are in Iowa, Missouri and Oklahoma.
“Most of the realignment talk revolves around scheduling for postseason,” Roderick said.
By losing the four schools to Division II, only six Eastern Division teams are in Division I, compared to nine Western Division teams.
Moving Butler to the Eastern Division would give the Eastern Division seven schools and the Western Division eight.
Butler’s proximity to the other Eastern Division schools made it the most appealing of the Western Division schools, Roderick said.
In an email to Allen Community College trustees, Fort Scott Community College President Clayton Tatro said Butler administrators have expressed a willingness to make the move.
The move would essentially divide the conference into three divisions for postseason play.
While the schools would continue to play each other, the difference would be Allen would play Butler twice during the regular season.
The move would not affect the football programs because the conference is not divided into divisions for that sport.
Butler CC may be on the move
