By Steve Carpenter - Hutchinson CC Sports Information Director
Junior college basketball's winningest team is going high-octane.
Tommy DeSalme was named the 15th head coach in the 90-year history of Blue Dragon Men's Basketball. DeSalme was introduced to Blue Dragon Nation by Athletic Director Josh Gooch at a news conference on Thursday at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
Hutchinson will be DeSalme's fifth stop as a head coach, his third in the Jayhawk Conference. DeSalme has amassed an overall coaching record of 316-233 in 20 seasons coaching at Cowley College (12 seasons), Independence Community College (2 seasons), Kansas Wesleyan University (1 season) and Sterling College (5 seasons).
DeSalme moves into the position vacated by Steve Eck, who left the Blue Dragons in April after 12 seasons as the winningest head coach in Hutchinson history. Eck ranks No. 3 in all-time Jayhawk Conference coaching wins and No. 5 in Region VI coaching wins.
With 284 KJCCC/Region VI victories at Cowley and Independence, DeSalme ranks seventh in Jayhawk coaching wins and ninth in Region VI coaching victories.