Warriors Sign Medford

OTTUMWA --- A player who was an NJCAA All-American two years ago will be coming to Indian Hills to continue his basketball career.  IHCC coach Barret Peery has signed Lester Medford, a 5’11”, 185-pound, point guard from Tucson, Arizona to a letter-of-intent.

As a freshman at Arizona Western, Medford was named a second-team All-American, first-team All-Conference, first-team All-Region and the region’s Freshman of the Year in leading his team to the region championship.  He averaged 17.9 points, scoring 20 or more in a game a dozen times, 4.1 assists and 2.1 steals while shooting 39.3 percent from three-point range.

Peery said that “Lester’s experience as a freshman and the success that he had will be great for us here at Indian Hills.”

Asked what he likes about Medford’s game, Peery said, “Lester will bring great speed and quickness to our team.  He really fits how we play with his athleticism and he is a really talented offensive player.”

Medford led his Amphitheater High School team in Tucson, Ariz. to a 29-2 record and a state championship as a senior.  He was a three-year starter there and posted averages of 19.2 points, four assists and three steals as a senior.  He sat out last year after his lone season at Arizona Western.

Frank Williams Latest Warrior to Sign

Ottumwa -- Frank Williams took a serious look at a handful of Division I schools where he would continue his education and basketball career.  In the end, the 6-7 guard from Kansas City, Mo. chose to sign with a school only a few minutes from his home.

Williams signed a national letter of intent with the University of Missouri-Kansas City and will play for new coach Kareem Richardson with the Kangaroos.

After a freshman season in which he was sidelined for eight games with an injury, Williams emerged as a sophomore to be one of IHCC's best outside shooters.  He made 62 3s, second on the team, and shot 38 percent from 3-point range.

Williams averaged 12.2 points a game as a soph with a high game of 27.  He reached double figures in points in 19 games and was the only IHCC player to appear in all 30 games.

Williams nearly doubled his scoring average from his freshman year, when he scored 6.4 points while playing in 14 games.  He suffered a broken bone in his arm in an early-season game at Ellsworth and missed eight games.

"I chose to attend UMKC to play basketball for coach Richardson because I feel that he will run a system that has been very successful in the college game today," said Williams.  "Also, because the university is in my hometown, I have the opportunity to play in front of my friends and family."

Richardson took over the UMKC program this spring after serving as an assistant under Rick Pitino at Louisville.  He said, "Frank brings our team experience and a tremendous ability to make shots.  We couldn't be more excited to have Frank become a part of the UMKC family."

Williams is the eighth player from this past season's Indian Hills team to sign with a Division I school.

Ross, Ndiaye Ink DI Letters

Ottumwa -- The number of Indian Hills basketball players headed to Division I schools after this year grew to seven on Wednesday when Ronald Ross signed a national letter-of-intent with Middle Tennessee and Rawane Ndiaye signed with the University of Tennessee.

Ross played this past season at Indian Hills after a freshman campaign at Vincennes (Ind.) where he was named an NJCAA Honorable Mention All-American.

With the Warriors, the guard from Indianapolis, Ind., averaged 14.5 points a game, second on the team, and led IHCC with 65 3-pointers, shooting over 40% from behind the arc.

Middle Tennessee loses six players off last season's team that finished 28-5 and qualified for the NCAA tournament.  MTSU coach Kermit Davis said, "Ronald has scored everywhere he's been.  He was the second-leading scorer on maybe the most talented junior college team in the country.  He is a physical guard and can really shoot the ball  from three.  He's going to be a really good player for us."

Ross will be the third former IHCC player to suit up for the Blue Raiders, joining LaRon Dendy and James Washington, both of whom had success after going there following their Indian Hills careers.

Ndiaye missed the first 10 games of his sophomore season after breaking a bone in his foot in the preseason.  He played in 15 games and averaged 2.9 points and 3.5 rebounds a game.  Those numbers are close to those of Ndiaye's freshman year at IHCC when he averaged 2.0 points and 2.5 rebounds.

Indian Hills coach Barret Peery was happy with the progress Ndiaye made during his two seasons with the Warriors and is optimistic he will continue to improve now that he is healthy again.

Five Warriors -- Jameel McKay (Marquette), Dustin Hogue (Iowa State), Richard Amardi (Iowa State), Jelan Kendrick (UNLV) and Trinson White (Wisconsin-Milwaukee) -- all signed letters-of-intent during the early signing period last fall.

McKay Repeats as First-Team All-American

OTTUMWA --- Jameel McKay is the first Indian Hills Community College basketball player to be named a first-team All-American two times.  McKay was selected to the National Junior College Athletic Association’s All-American squad for 2012-13, duplicating the honor he received as a freshman.

McKay, a Milwaukee, Wis. native, led the Warriors in both scoring and rebounding the past two years, increasing his averages to 18.2 points and 11.0 rebounds last season after averaging 14.6 points and 7.7 rebounds as a freshman. 

In his sophomore season, McKay shot 57 percent from the floor, averaged two blocks a game and went over the 1,000-point mark, finishing his stellar career at IHCC with 1,022 points.

He scored in double figures in 59 of the 63 games he played at Indian Hills, including 27 of 28 games with 10 or more points last season.

McKay played a key role on Warriors teams that were 59-8 in two years.  As a freshman he helped lead IHCC to the national tournament, where he was named to the all-tournament team after posting double-doubles in all four games at the tourney.  He totaled 61 points and 50 rebounds as the Warriors recovered from an opening-game loss to win their next three games.

One of Barret Peery’s first recruits when he took over as head coach in 2011, McKay was also a first-team all-region choice the last two years.

“I’m so proud of Jameel and the honors he has been given,” Peery said.  “He has been a tremendous worker for us and was all about winning.  Our basketball family couldn’t be happier for him.  He has had great teammates and coaches around him that have all been a part of his success.”

McKay, an all-city pick coming out of high school in Milwaukee, will be going back home to continue his education and basketball career, having signed last fall to attend Marquette University.

Warriors Put Four on All-Region Team

Ottumwa -- Indian Hills had two repeat selections on the All-Region 11 basketball team announced by the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference.

The Warriors’ Jameel McKay was a first-team all-region choice for the second year in a row and Dustin Hogue was a second-team selection, as he was last year.

The other IHCC players who made the all-region team both played one year at Indian Hills after transferring prior to their sophomore season.  Ronald Ross, who played at Vincennes (Ind.) as a freshman, received second-team honors, and Jelan Kendrick, who was at the University of Mississippi for his freshman campaign, was an honorable mention pick.

McKay led Indian Hills in scoring and rebounding for the second year in a row.  He averaged 18.2 points and nearly 11 rebounds a game this season, increasing his freshman averages of 14.6 points and 7.7 rebounds, numbers which helped him garner first-team All-American honors last year.  As a soph, McKay shot 57 percent from the field and averaged two blocks a game while scoring in double figures in 27 of the 28 games he played.  He surpassed the 1,000-point total for his career late in the season and wound up his two-year stint at IHCC with 1,022 points.

Hogue also boosted his scoring average as a sophomore, tallying 12.6 points a game compared to 11.1 as a freshman, while his rebound average stayed the same at around 5.5 boards a game.  He started 41 games over the past two seasons and scored 740 points.  His 23 starting assignments this year tied McKay for the team lead.

Ross came to IHCC after he was named an honorable mention All-American at Vincennes.  He was the second-leading scorer for the Warriors, averaging 14.5 points a game, and led the team in three-pointers with 65.  He shot over 42 percent from three-point range and also led the Warriors in steals.

In his lone season at Indian Hills, Kendrick topped the team in assists, dishing out around four a game, while scoring 12.3 points a contest.  He fought through a mid-season shoulder injury to score in double figures in 11 of the final 13 games.

Postseason Ban Ends Warriors' Season

Ottumwa -- The National Junior College Athletic Association Monday denied an appeal submitted by Indian Hills Community College and upheld a ruling that prohibits IHCC from playing any postseason basketball games.

The postseason ban was issued for a violation of NJCAA rules committed by Indian Hills stemming from incidents that occurred following the Warriors' game at Southeastern CC on Feb. 16.  An on-court melee after that game resulted in IHCC's Ronald Ross being arrested.

Ross was jailed after his arrest and was released after IHCC president Dr. Jim Lindenmayer posted bail for Ross.  Dr. Lindenmayer subsequently self-reported the violation on the Tuesday following the game after he was made aware of an NJCAA rule that prohibits college officials from posting bail for a student-athlete.

Indian Hills had five players suspended for their actions in the moments after the SCC game and all of those players were forced to sit out the Warriors' final two regular season games.

The NJCAA ban on Indian Hills' playing in the postseason was handed down last week with the organization then issuing its ruling against IHCC's appeal of the penalty on Monday.

This is a statement from Dr. Lindenmayer following Monday's announcement:

“Late Saturday (Feb. 16), after everyone was on their way home, I bailed a student-athlete out of jail. I was unaware of the rule, but I knew that I did not want to leave a player behind at an out-of-town facility under those circumstances.  I feel strongly that when we leave our campus with students in our care it is our duty to return them safely to campus.  This is what I would expect of any staff member and what I would expect as a parent of a child under college supervision.  I feel the penalty is very harsh, especially in light of our record for following NJCAA rules.  I sincerely apologize to our fans and the entire Indian Hills community.  Coach Peery, his staff and players have worked very hard on this great season. Obviously this was a very unfortunate incident with lots of regrets from many people. “

The Warriors end their season with a 26-4 record.  They won the conference championship with a 7-1 mark and had the second-highest offensive average of any Division I school, scoring 97.9 points a game.  Indian Hills was ranked third in the NJCAA poll that was released following the double-overtime win over Southeastern, their 12th consecutive victory, a season high.

Warriors Closes Regular Season With Loss to MCC

Ottumwa -- Indian Hills saw its long home court winning streak come to an end Saturday night in a 88-78 loss to Marshalltown CC in the final regular season game for both teams.  The defeat, coupled with a road loss at Moberly on Tuesday, also gave the Warriors (26-4, 7-1) back-to-back losses for the first time in two years.

It was the first time in 37 home games under second-year coach Barret Peery that IHCC failed to get a  victory.  And it was the only defeat in eight regular season conference games for the Warriors.

Marshalltown (22-8, 3-5) was in control virtually the entire game in avenging an earlier loss to Indian Hills that was accomplished when IHCC's Ronald Ross drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer.  Ross was one of five Warriors who missed the MCC game, serving the second game of suspensions handed down after the SCC game a week before.

Indian Hills took their first lead in this contest against the Tigers when Martin Dixon-Green, making his first start of the season, hit a 3-pointer for a 13-12 score.  The Warriors' Jameel McKay, who was superb with 21 points and 16 rebounds, later tied the score at 17-all.

An 18-7 run allowed MCC to go ahead by 11 and the Tigers took a 40-34 lead at intermission.

After trailing by nine points early in the second half, Indian Hills managed to tie the score three times, the last at 51-51.  Chris Caird's jump shot gave MCC the lead, part of a 17-point second half for theTiger sophomore. 

Marshalltown would eventually stretch the advantage to 12 points at 74-62.  Indian Hills rallied to within four at 79-75 on a basket by Jelan Kendrick with 1:22 to play, but couldn't get any closer and MCC sealed the win at the free throw line.

Caird's 21 points led the Tigers, whose biggest contribution may have come from Jamal Gatali, who hit five 3s and scored 20 points.  Frank Williams added 17 to McKay's 21 points for the Warriors.

MARSHALLTOWN 88, INDIAN HILLS 78

INDIAN HILLS

Jameel McKay 8 5-6 21, Trinson White 4 0-0 11, Jelan Kendrick 5 2-3 12, Frank Williams 7 0-0 17, Gary Williams, Jr. 2 4-6 8, Martin Dixon-Green 2 0-0 5, Majok Deng 2 0-0 4 Gary Ross 0 0-0 0 Team 30 11-15 78

MARSHALLTOWN

Rahiem Holloway 3 2-3 8, Matej Delinac 2 5-6 11, Chris Caird 6 7-8 21, Jamal Gatali 7 1-2 20, Troidell Carter 6 0-0 12, Cameron Robinson 2 4-6 8, Jamyles Coleman 0 0-0 0 Lamont Adair 4 0-0 8  Team 30 19-25 88

Halftime score: Marshalltown 40, Indian Hills 34; Three-point field goals: MCC 9 (Gatali 5; Delinac, Caird 2), IHCC 7 (White, F. Williams 3; Dixon-Green 1)