SCCC/ATS hits the road for areawide Basketball Nights

In communities throughout Southwest Kansas and the Oklahoma Panhandle, basketball season is already on the court, and representatives from Seward County Community College/Area Technical School will show up to support area teams.

“We’ve started our annual Basketball Nights, which are always a lot of fun,” said SCCC/ATS admissions recruiter Aly Call. “It’s great to see the kids out on the court playing, and the community showing up to support them.”

Director of Admissions Bert Luallen agreed.

“I went to high school in a very small town of 750 people. Whether it’s football or basketball, the game is the major event of the week in these communities, and that means we want to be there,” he said. “It shows the students and their families that we support them.”

Luallen added the support does not end with the final buzzer.

“At SCCC/ATS, we pride ourselves on strengthening the connection with the communities in our service area,” he said. “We’re here for those communities, high schools, and their students. We want those students to come to Seward County when they graduate.”

With 19 area schools on the SCCC/ATS Admissions schedule, the college matches its time and attention with college-fund money.

“Every place we go, during halftime of the boys’ games, we will give away a $100 scholarship,” Luallen said. “We’ll be there for the girls’ game, too. We want to give the most people possible an opportunity to put their name in the drawing.”

In addition to tuition money, the team will give away free t-shirts and other promotional items. College students sign up to attend the games, and are ready and willing to answer questions about life on campus. Faculty also attend the games to provide information about the 45 programs of study available at SCCC/ATS.

“We’re also handing out information about our Summer Academies, which are pretty cool,” said Food Science and Safety instructor Chris Guyer. “These are four-day, on-campus camps for high school students to study engineering, food science and safety, or sustainable agriculture.” Guyer said applications for the academies open Feb. 1, 2016, and now is the perfect time for students and their parents to think ahead to summer plans.

That’s just one example of how Basketball Nights continue a conversation that SCCC/ATS’s admissions department is continually carrying on with students and their parents.

“I’ll be making visits to area high schools this spring,” said Call. “Everyone in our office will be doing that. So I know I’m going to see those students again.”

“We talk to them at College Planning Conferences, at Xtreme Challenge here on campus, at the county fairs in the summer,” said Luallen. “It’s one of the best parts of this job — telling students they have a place here at SCCC/ATS.”

As for the game night itself, “we’ll be cheering the teams on,” said Call.

Basketball Nights Area Schedule

Dec. 1 — Tyrone, Okla., Bobcats play Texhoma at 6:30 p.m.

Dec. 8 — Turpin, Okla., Cardinals play Hooker at 6:30 p.m.

Dec. 15 — Sublette Larks play Lakin at 6:30 p.m.

Dec. 17 — Southwestern Heights Mustangs play Syracuse at 6:30 p.m.

Dec. 18 — Satanta Indians play Sublette at 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 5 — Liberal Redskins play Perryton at 6 p.m.

Jan. 8 — Hugoton Eagles play Woodland at 6 p.m.

Jan. 15 — Fellowship Baptist Falcons play at 5 p.m.

Jan. 19 — Forgan Bulldogs play Shattuck at 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 26 — Hooker Bulldogs play Felt at 6 p.m.

Feb. 2 — Meade Buffalos play Hooker at 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 5 — Stanton County Trojans play Southwestern Heights at 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 9 — Elkhart Wildcats play Turpin at 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 11 — Rolla Pirates play Moscow at 6 p.m.

Feb. 16 — Ulysses Tigers play Hugoton at 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 19 — South Gray Rebels play Kiowa County at 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 23 — Guymon, Okla., Tigers play Lakin at 6:30 p.m.