(KJCCC) March 16, 2023 --

2022-23 All-KJCCC Men's Division I Basketball Selections

Regular-season Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference champion Dodge City netted three of the five major individual awards as the KJCCC released its 2023 Division I All-League teams on Thursday.

Dodge City guard Jason Edwards was named the league's 2023 Most Valuable Player and the Newcomer of the Year. Conquistador head coach Brad Witherspoon was named the 2023 Coach of the Year.

Hutchinson Blue Dragon guard Aaron Franklin was named the conference's Freshman of the Year. Barton's Cooper Jackson was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Year.

The KJCCC also released its all-conference first, second and honorable mention teams and the KJCCC's Defensive Team of the Year.

JASON EDWARDS, DODGE CITY (Most Valuable Player/Newcomer of the Year)
A transfer from Miles Community College, Edwards had an immediate impact on the Conquistadors, who had several holes to fill from last year's KJCCC and Region VI championship team.

The 6-foot guard from Atlanta, was the second-leading scorer in the KJCCC and the 15th-leading scorer in the NJCAA this season, averaging 21.5 points per game. Edwards shot 47.6 percent overall from the floor, hitting 84 of 214 3-point attempts (39.3 percent) and 77.8 percent from the free-throw line.

Edwards ranked sixth in the KJCCC in 3-point efficiency and his 84 makes from distance were third-most in the league.

Edwards had a career-high 38 points against Hutchinson on February 11 on a night where he hit six 3-point goals. He also had a career-high eight assists in that game against the Blue Dragons.

Edwards ranks in the Dodge City single-season Top 10 in points, made field goals, made 3-pointer and made free throws. Edwards score 20 or more points 21 times and 30 or more points three times.

AARON FRANKLIN, HUTCHINSON (Freshman of the Year)
The 6-foot-5 freshman from Kansas City, Missouri, led the Blue Dragons and the KJCCC in scoring at 22.0 points per game. That mark ranked 10th in the NJCAA.

Franklin became just the 12th Blue Dragon in program history to surpass the 700-point mark of the season with 703 points. His 80 3-point field goals were the third most in program single-game history.

Franklin shot 49.3 percent overall, hitting 32.8 percent from 3-point range and 62.8 percent from the free-throw line. Franklin was the Blue Dragons' leading rebounder and sixth-leading rebounder in the KJCCC with 8.2 boards per game.

Franklin posted 10 double-doubles this season and scored in double figures in all 32 games played. Franklin had 19 games of 20 or more points and five games with 30 or more points, including a career-high 38 points against Pratt on January 25.

BRAD WITHERSPOON, DODGE CITY (Coach of the Year)
Coaching his first season with the Conquistadors, Witherspoon guided the Conquistadors to a second-straight Jayhawk Conference title.

The Conquistadors are 23-9 heading into their NJCAA Tournament matchup with Meridian Community College.

Dodge City earned a tournament berth for the second-straight year, this season as an at-large team after falling to Butler in the Region VI Tournament championship game.

Witherspoon had the Conquistadors ranked as high as No. 8 this season before settling in at No. 13 in the final regular-season poll.

This is the second-straight season Witherspoon has won a Coach of the Year award. Witherspoon was named the Oklahoma conference Coach of the Year in 2022 when he was at NOC-Tonkawa.

COOPER JACKSON, BARTON (Defensive Player of the Year)
A 6-1 freshman from Lawrence, Jackson ranked second nationally with 3.4 steals per game.

His 112 season steals are fourth most in Barton men's basketball history.

Jackson had 24 games of three or more steals, including a season-high eight against Colby.

Jackson's defensive efforts helped Barton rank third in the KJCCC at 70.0 points per game, second in opponent field-goal percentage at 40.7 percent and second in opponent 3-point percentage at 30.0 percent.