Dear editor,
I hope you are all aware the Allen Community College mens basketball team is undefeated in their conference games. They have a 10-game winning streak. Malik Hardmon, who was the Registers November Athlete of the Month, had a career high game Saturday night with 39 points. However, the most outstanding accomplishment Saturday night was when they defeated the Hutchinson Blue Dragons who are ranked No. 5 in the nation.
Thanks to modern technology, I was able to watch the womens and mens basketball games at Hutchinson on my computer and listen to the sports commentators on my phone. I was very impressed with what they had to say about Allen Community College! They spoke very highly of ACCs head coaches Rachel Janzen and Andy Shaw. They remarked how last year when the ACC women played Hutchinson only five women suited up and played all 40 minutes. This year, Coach Janzen has a deep bench of good players.
As for Coach Shaw, they recounted his days of playing basketball at OSU to current times. They wondered if his team would keep their winning streak going. They found out before the night was over what Coach Shaw has put together for his team at Allen.
We as citizens of Iola, Allen County, Kansas, owe Coach Rachel Janzen, Coach Andy Shaw and the team players of the Allen Community College men and womens basketball teams our highest respect! We should be proud of the contribution Coach Janzen and Coach Shaw are making to our community. We need to show them and their athletes our pride for what they have developed this year.
You ask how can I support them and show our pride in their contributions to our community? The answer is by attending their games at Allen! You can start by attending their home games next Saturday, Jan. 11 at 2 and 4 p.m. The basketball gym stands should be filled with us there supporting these athletes.
In my opinion these two teams are the best I have seen at Allen in a while. I hope you will join me in supporting the Allen athletes by attending their home games and making them feel our appreciation for choosing Allen Community College, Iola, Allen County, Kansas to further their education!
You will be glad you did!
Marsha M. Burris,
Iola, Kan.
