Ottumwa -- Former Indian Hills basketball All-American Pete Mickeal will be inducted into the National Junior College Athletic Association Hall of Fame this year. The class selected by the NJCAA Men's Basketball Coaches Association includes Mickeal, who led IHCC to back-to-back national championships, along with two coaches who are still on the sidelines -- Jay Herkelman of Coffeyville (Kans.) and Todd Franklin of Vincennes (Ind.).
Mickeal was a key performer on the Warriors' first national title team in 1997 and he helped IHCC repeat the following year, with a combined IHCC record of 76-1 those two seasons. He was named all-region both years and was the national Player of the Year as a sophomore, in addition to being named the national tourney MVP as a soph.
A native of Rock Island, Ill., Mickeal is the second-leading scorer in Indian Hills history and the only IHCC player to have his jersey retired. He is the career leader in field goals, free throws, and free throw attempts.
After Indian Hills, Mickeal attended the University of Cincinnati where he was a first-team all-conference selection for two years and an honorable mention All-American as a senior. Mickeal began a professional career in 2000 and played overseas in eight different countries.
Mickeal was a member of the first class of the Indian Hills Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012.