OTTUMWA, IA – Two members of the Indian Hills Community College Men’s Basketball program garnered national attention this past weekend at premier showcases. Taj Anderson and Braxton Bayless took part in two events and were recognized as top performers.

The pair of sophomore Warriors participated in JA48 at Northwest Florida State on July 8-9. The invite-only event featured the top 48 rising sophomores in junior college basketball. The two explosive guards followed up a solid showing at JA48 with impressive performances at the JUCO All-American Showcase in Atlanta, GA July 10-11. In a field of nearly 200 junior college prospects, both Anderson and Bayless were selected to the event’s All-Star game as two of the top 40 players in the event.

“Braxton and Taj both played well and represented Indian Hills like we knew they would,” Indian Hills head coach Hank Plona noted. “They played as big of roles as any freshman guards we have had, and they have great experience as they enter their sophomore seasons. Braxton has continued to grow as a point guard and a leader and Taj is one of the best scorers in the country. We are looking forward to having the opportunity to coach them one more year here in front of our great fans at Indian Hills.”

Plona, ready to enter his seventh year at the helm of the Warriors, was able to see the efforts of both Anderson and Bayless first-hand after being selected as one of six head coaches in the JA48 event. Both Plona and assistant coach Henoc Bienne led a squad of eight players from eight different National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) programs – Northwest Florida State, Kilgore (TX), McCook (NE), Salt Lake (UT), Panola (TX), Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Santa Fe (FL), and Navarro (TX).

Anderson ranked second on the Warriors last season with 12.6 points per game while Bayless appeared in all 24 games and tallied 6.1 points per contest.