by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
Kamryn Estell is the Freshman of the Year in the Kansas Jayhawk Conference Community College for 2019-2020.
A 6-1 forward-center from Belton, Missouri, Estell is also one of three Kansas City Kansas Community College players named to All-Jayhawk Conference teams. Estell was also named to the All-Jayhawk second team; 5-6 sophomore Brodi Byrd of Truman High School in Independence and 5-7 freshman Aliyah Myers of Derby were named to the third team.
The trio helped lead the Lady Blue Devils to an overall record of 25-7 with all seven losses coming to nationally ranked teams – No. 2 Labette, No. 4 Kirkwood, No. 7 Johnson County and No. 13 Highland. Fourth in the conference, KCKCC finished 5-5 with two losses each to Labette and JCCC and a split with Highland.
Only three freshmen were named to the 15-member All-Jayhawk team, Estell, Myers and Jayla Smith of Labette. The conference’s six coaches voted on the team with coaches not allowed to vote on their own players.
Averaging 14.5 points a game, Estell finished third in the Jayhawk Conference in scoring despite being double and triple team defensively.
“In my five years, we’ve had three All-Americans, two MVPs in the national tournament and the national Player of the Year and I’ve never seen other teams game plan on one player as they did on Kamryn,” KCKCC coach Joe McKinstry said. “She’s that good; a real matchup problem.”
Estell also finished fifth in the conference in field goal percentage (.560); sixth in rebounding (7.2) and averaged 1.5 assists and 1.4 steals. Scoring in double figures in 25 games, she had seven double-doubles with highs of 29 and 27 points as a starter in all 32 games.
Byrd also started all 32 games, averaging 10.3 points and setting a KCKCC record for most 3-point goals in a career with 181.
“Brodi provided us leadership every day; just a great job with what was almost an entirely new team,” McKinstry said. Byrd was the lone sophomore returnee from the 2019 national championship team who played the full season.
The leader in 3-point goals with 56, Byrd also shared the lead in assists (2.4) and was second in rebounds (4.8) and steals (1.8). A major contributor in the 2019 national championship run, she started 22 games, averaging 8.9 points and 3.0 rebounds. Her 73 3-point goals are fourth on the all-time list for single games.
Myers scored in double figures in 20 games in her first collegiate season with a career high of 25 points in the Blue Devils’ season-ending playoff loss to No. 2 ranked Labette.
“I thought her performance in the playoffs really showed her abilities and indication of better things to come next season,” McKinstry said.
A starter in 30 of 32 games, Myers finished third in scoring with an 11.5-point average. She also led in steals (2.2), co-led in assists with 2.4 a game and averaged 4.3 rebounds.
“Her confidence really grew as the season progressed,” McKinstry said.
Champion Labette swept the other major conference honors. Denijsha Wilson was named Player of the Year, Diamond Jones Defensive Player of the Year and Mitch Rolls Coach of the Year. Wilson was joined on the first team by Krystal Rice of Johnson County and three sophomores from Highland, Tiana Gipson, Erin Randle and Armani Turner.
Labette placed six players on the three teams. In addition to Wilson, Jones, Jessica Martino and Angel Williams were named to the second team and Smith and Jordan Chiles on the third team. Johnson County had three representatives, Rice on the first team, K.K. Jackson-Morris on the second and Dallie Hoskinson on the third.