Danville, IL—The impact of JUCO March Madness is upon Danville, IL.  Sleepy mom and pop diners, hotels and shopping centers are now packed with six-foot plus frames, size thirteen shoes and more iPods than your local Best Buy as the NJCAA DII’s best have taken the city over. 

One would think this influx of young men would cause an unsuspecting citizen to do a double-take when confronted such a sight.  That’s not the case in Danville.

The Danville Area Community College has hosted this tournament for 19 consecutive years—the tournament itself has only existed for 27 years.  The NJCAA DII National Tournament is a part of life here and a seemingly welcome one at that.

Regardless of where the Raiders have been in the last 36 hours, the community has sent us off with an inspiring salutation after another.  Between  those “good lucks” and “congratulations”, GRCCRaiders.com sat down with sophomores Jimmy Carroll, Jr. and Alex Lyle to get some details about this year’s team and what it took to get this far.

GRR— Knowing you can only name one thing, what aspect of this year’s team has allowed you to make it this far this year?

JC & AL - Chemistry & Leadership.  We’ve played very unselfishly this year.  No one player is out to score all the points.  All of us second-year guys have stepped up to lead this team and we’re pleased with how it’s come together.

GRR—Who on your team is the most inspiring player—the one that makes you work harder?

JC & AL - Both T.J. McCutcheon and Grant Tracy.  Those guys give the same effort every day.  That attitude makes us work harder.  Tracy earns each shot he takes.  Every time he steps on the court and scores we’re all fired up.  The intensity they bring is incredible.

GRR—Unsung hero of the squad this year?

JC & AL - Gates and Hesselink.  Those guys get it done every game.  They do all the little things right.  They take the charges, get the tip-ins, and attack the boards.  They might not score the most points, but as a team we can count on them for consistent play each game.

GRR—Tell me about the coaching staff.

JC & AL - They’ve made us better—there’s no doubt.  Coach TJ is a very serious guy.  He’s here to win, and he works us hard to make sure we are always getting better.  He knew we had the potential to be a good team—and he made us one.

GRR— This tournament is quite an opportunity.  What does it mean to each of you to be here?  Who played the biggest role in getting this squad here.

JC & AL - This means everything, really.  For Roy, Grant and both of us, our goal from day one on campus was to get here and win, so being here today feels right.  We’ve got something to prove here.  Getting here isn’t enough though—this is no time to celebrate and be satisfied—we want to win it all.

As far as who played the biggest role is getting us her—that’s Coach TJ.  He’s kept us on a short leash and thinking about basketball which made us better players and better teammates.  The routine he Coach Burton and Coach Ingles have given us made us accountable to each other.  It shows.

The Raider's face the Cougars of South Mountain Community College Wednesday March 20, 2012 at 1:00 PM CST at the Danville Area Community College, in Danville, IL.  Fans can check out tomorrow's game live on NJCAA TV.