Kris Baumann leads No. 1 Trinity Valley back to NJCAA tourney

It was going to take something special to pull Kris Baumann away from the Garden City Community College men’s basketball program.

Four years ago, he found it in Trinity Valley (Texas) Community College.

“Garden City was somewhere that was very dear to me,” Baumann said. “The opportunity that was put in front of me was just too good to pass up. It seemed like the right fit, with the location and the full scholarships and the school’s history.”

Baumann has been a home-run hire for Trinity Valley, where he’s in his fourth season as coach and leads his team into the NJCAA Division I Tournament at the Hutchinson Sports Arena for the third time in his tenure – this time with a 32-1 record, the No. 1 ranking in the country since Jan. 12 and the tournament’s overall No. 1 seed.

Play opens at the NJCAA Tournament on Monday; Trinity Valley doesn’t play until 2 p.m. Tuesday against the winner of Monday’s game between North Dakota Science and Harcum (Pa.).

The Jayhawk Conference received two bids — Neosho County received the automatic bid via its Region VI championship and opens play Monday against Hartford (Md.) at noon. Hutchinson (29-4) received an at-large bid and plays the winner of Monday’s game between Indian Hills (Iowa) and Moberly (Mo.) on Wednesday at 2 p.m.

Baumann, who led Garden City to its first Region VI title since 1956 in 2009, guided his team through an unthinkable tragedy this season when former player Melvin Swift was shot and killed on Dec. 29 at a neighbor’s house in Houston. Swift, a 6-foot-8 forward and top national recruit, was dismissed from team the previous month for a violation of team rules.

“You don’t ever want to have to endure something like that,” Baumann said. “We got everybody together and went to the funeral, sat up in the balcony and cried together and mourned together. And then we had to get back to our season.”

Trinity Valley has won 27 straight headed into the national tournament, and they’ve had their share of close calls, including a buzzer-beating win over Paris and a rally against Navarro after they were down 22-0 to open the game.

The players have dedicated their season to Swift — often using the hashtag #ripswift or #longliveswift on gamedays.

“It’s been a rallying point for us,” Baumann said. “It’s one way for us to remember Melvin and keep him in our hearts.”

This story was originally published March 13, 2016 at 9:54 PM with the headline "Kris Baumann leads No. 1 Trinity Valley back to NJCAA tourney."