Click here to listen to Coach Larson preview the national tournament
The Iowa Lakes men's basketball team will be making an appearance in the NJCAA Division 2 National Tournament for the first time since 2013. The tournament will feature the top 16 NJCAA Division 2 teams from across the country meeting to play in Danville, Illinois beginning on Tuesday, April 20th and concluding on Saturday, April 24th with the national championship game. The tournament will follow a double elimination format and each team will be guaranteed to play at least two games.
The Lakers earned the #6 overall seed in the tournament and they will open against 11th seeded North Central Missouri on Wednesday, April 21st at 11:00 A.M. central time in the first round.
The Lakers enter the tournament playing their best basketball of the season, as they are on a five-game winning streak after winning the Region XI tournament championship. The Lakers defeated SWCC 85-73 in the championship game to earn an automatic bid to the tournament as the Region XI-B champion. Ryan Hall was named MVP of the tournament after averaging 19.3 points per game and making 13 total threes over the three-game stretch. Xzavier Jones and Dillon Carlson were also named to the Region XI All-Tournament Team.
Head Coach Troy Larson was pleased with his players, "We have had great leadership on this year's team. Dillon, Kevin, Keshawn, and Xzavier have all done a tremendous job in setting the tone for us to be a good team. They work hard and have great attitudes. They have fought through adversity and have really stuck together. We've had really good play by those guys mentioned above as well at Caleb and Ryan. Our guard play has been tremendous down the stretch. We've also had important contributions from Johnathan and Joseph. Our starting five has great chemistry and really knows how to play with one another."
Click here to listen to Coach Larson preview the national tournament
The Lakers finished the season second in the conference with an overall record of 18-7 and 15-7 in ICCAC play. The Lakers are led in scoring by Jones, who is averaging 13.8 points per game this season. Right behind Jones in scoring is the rest of the starting lineup with Hall (13.6), Carlson (13.0), Johnson (12.5), and Cook (11.8) all averaging double figures on the year.
A big key for the Lakers in the national tournament will be rebounding, as they average 40.6 rebounds per game. The Lakers led the ICCAC conference in offensive rebounds with 13.8 per game. Rebounding will start with Jones and Cook, who both average greater than 7 rebounds per game. The Lakers are also averaging 15.8 assists per game led by Johnson (3.7) and Jones (3.3). Ball movement, rebounding, and balanced scoring have been a recipe for success throughout the season for the Lakers.
Looking forward to the tournament, Head coach Troy Larson commented, "The team is really excited about going to the national tournament. We have worked hard all season, so it feels great to be rewarded with a tournament berth. Our group of guys have really developed into a team. They care about one another and have sacrificed individual stats for the good of the group. As a coach it has been a very enjoyable process to be a part of. Our goal taking one game at a time is to win four games and get the trophy. We play in the best league in the country so we are well prepared. North Central Missouri is a quality opponent in the first round but we will be ready. Our players are really looking forward to it."
The #11 seed North Central Missouri finished their season with a record of 17-6 after winning the Central B District Championship to earn a berth to the national tournament. The Pirates are led by Atavian Butler (19.5 ppg) and Jeramy Shaw (16.5 ppg). Both the Lakers and Pirates are averaging over 80 points per game, so both teams can expect a high tempo game with a lot of scoring.
The winner of the Lakers first-round game will play the winner of #3 South Suburban and #14 Henry Ford on Thursday, April 22nd at 6:00 P.M. The loser of the Lakers first-round game will play the loser of South Suburban/Henry Ford game in the consolation bracket on Thursday at 3:00 P.M.
All games throughout the duration of National Tournament can be streamed live on the NJCAA Network: https://www.njcaa.org/network.
OTHER: Interview with Head Coach Troy Larson
Link to Roster: https://iowalakesathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/roster
Link to Schedule: https://iowalakesathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/schedule
MEDIA: For more information, please contact Head Men's Basketball Coach Troy Larson at (712) 362-7915 or the Iowa Lakes sports information office at (712) 362-7928.