Men's Basketball

FORMER WARRIORS EARN NCAA BIDS

FORMER WARRIORS EARN NCAA BIDS
Posted: Mar 13, 2023

Ottumwa, IA – Nine former members of the Indian Hills Basketball program have earned postseason bids to the NCAA Tournament. Six former players and three coaches will suit up for their respective programs starting this week.

Three former players will represent Kent State University – Malique Jacobs, Chris Payton, and Kevin Zabo. A pair of former Warrior coaches – Henoc Bienne and Nate Schmidt will represent Iowa State University. Former standout Tyrese Nickelson and assistant coach Cole Dewey will head into March Madness with Texas A&M University Corpus Christi. Jermaine Ukaegbu will represent the College of Charleston while former guard Isaiah Marin will suit up for Texas Southern University.

Malique Jacobs (2019-20)  |  Kent State University

In his final season with the Golden Flashes, Jacobs has powered Kent State into the NCAA Tournament. Jacobs was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year and became a two-time All-MAC selection with second-team honors. Jacobs also became the first player in program history to record a triple-double this year.

After winning the 2023 MAC Tournament, Kent State earned the No. 13 seed and will face No. 4 seed Indiana on Friday night at 8:55 PM CDT in Albany, NY.

Malique Jacobs appeared in 31 games during his lone season for the Warriors and earned NJCAA All-Region XI Honorable Mention honors. Jacobs wrapped up his time in Ottumwa with eight consecutive double-digit scoring performances, including 14 points in the NJCAA Central District Championship to earn an automatic bid to the national tournament. Jacobs earned two ICCAC All-Academic honors while at Indian Hills. 

Chris Payton (2019-21)  |  Kent State University

In his first season with the Golden Flashes, Payton emerged as a key piece of Kent State's conference title run down the stretch. Payton has scored in double-figures in 11 of the team's last 16 games, including 17 points to go along with five rebounds and two blocks in the MAC Championship vs. Toledo.

After winning the 2023 MAC Tournament, Kent State earned the No. 13 seed and will face No. 4 seed Indiana on Friday night at 8:55 PM CDT in Albany, NY.

Named to the NJCAA All-Region XI First-Team in each season as a Warrior, Chris Payton helped guide the Warriors to back-to-back ICCAC Regular Season and NJCAA Region XI Tournament Championships. Payton started 23 contests as a sophomore and averaged 12.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.

Kevin Zabo (2015-16)  |  Kent State University (Graduate Assistant)

A two-year member of the Golden Flashes from 2016-18, Zabo returned to Kent State in 2021 as a graduate assistant. Zabo helped guide the Golden Flashes to the 2023 MAC Championship, a feat the guard helped Kent State also win as a player in 2017.

After winning the 2023 MAC Tournament, Kent State earned the No. 13 seed and will face No. 4 seed Indiana on Friday night at 8:55 PM CDT in Albany, NY.

As a member of the Warriors in 2015-16, Zabo appeared in 33 games and helped lead Indian Hills to a 29-5 record and a national tournament appearance before transferring to Kent State.

Cole Dewey (2015-18)  |  Texas A&M University Corpus Christi (Assistant Coach)

In his second season as an assistant coach with the Islanders, Dewey helped the program reach its second consecutive NCAA Tournament, and just its third in program history. A&M-Corpus Christi earned an automatic bid to the tournament after winning the Southland Conference title and posting a 23-10 overall record on the year.

The Islanders received the No. 16 seed in the South Region for this year's tournament and will faceoff against No. 16 Southeast Missouri State in the play-in round Tuesday night at 5:40 PM CDT in Dayton, OH.

Dewey spent three seasons at Indian Hills under current head coach Hank Plona where the Warriors posted a 91-11 record. With Dewey on the bench, the Warriors made three NJCAA National Tournament appearances with three regular season and postseason titles.

Tyrese Nickelson (2019-21)  |  Texas A&M University Corpus Christi

Nickelson has helped guide the Islanders to its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance after appearing in 24 of the team's games this year. Over the course of his career, Nickelson has appeared in 56 career games, including last year's NCAA Tournament game.

The Islanders received the No. 16 seed in the South Region for this year's tournament and will faceoff against No. 16 Southeast Missouri State in the play-in round Tuesday night at 5:40 PM CDT in Dayton, OH.

Tyrese Nickelson served as an integral part of the Warriors' back-to-back NJCAA Region XI Championships in 2020 and 2021. Nickelson appeared in 36 games in his career and averaged 10.9 points per contest as a sophomore. Nickelson was a two-time member of the ICCAC All-Academic team.

Henoc Bienne (2021-22)  |  Iowa State University (Graduate Assistant)

Former Warrior assistant coach Henoc Bienne is in his first season with the Cyclones of Iowa State. Bienne, who joined Hank Plona's staff in 2021, is a graduate assistant for Iowa State under TJ Otzelberger. Bienne helped lead the Warriors to the 2022 NJCAA National Tournament with a regular season, region, and district championship.

The Cyclones received the No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region of this year's NCAA Tournament and will play the winner of the No. 11 seed play-in matchup between Mississippi State and Pittsburgh at 2:10 PM on Friday.

Nate Schmidt (2017-19)  |  Iowa State University (Assistant Coach)

Nate Schmidt was promoted to assistant coach for the Cyclones for the 2022-23 season after serving as the program's recruiting and player development coordinator. Schmidt was a member of head coach Hank Plona's staff for two seasons at Indian Hills where the team captured 60 wins and two national tournament appearances.

The Cyclones received the No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region of this year's NCAA Tournament and will play the winner of the No. 11 seed play-in matchup between Mississippi State and Pittsburgh at 2:10 PM on Friday.

Isaiah Marin (2021-22)  |  Texas Southern University

Marin and the TSU Tigers made a thrilling run through the SWAC Tournament to win the championship and earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. Marin has appeared in 21 games in his first season with the Tigers.

Texas Southern will play in the No. 16 seed play-in game of the East Region against Fairleigh Dickinson. The two teams will meet at 5:40 PM CDT Wednesday night in Dayton, OH.

In his lone season at Indian Hills, Marin helped lead the Warriors to the NJCAA National Tournament after appearing 27 games with 17 starts. Marin was named to the Fiesta Bowl Shootout All-Tournament Team and earned ICACC Athlete of the Week honors for the Warriors.

Jermaine Ukaegbu (2016-17)  |  College of Charleston (Director of Player Development)

Ukaegbu is in his second season as the Director of Player Development for the College of Charleston Men's Basketball program and has served as an integral part of head coach Pat Kelsey's program. Ukaegbu joined the program after serving as a graduate assistant at Winthrop after completing his collegiate career for the Eagles.

Charleston earned the No. 12 seed in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament after winning the CAA championship with a 31-3 overall record. The Cougars will face No. 5 seed San Diego State at 3:10 PM on Thursday.

Ukaegbu appeared in 31 games for the Warriors in his lone season in 2016-17, making 13 starts on the Warriors' 29-5 squad that reached the NJCAA National Tournament.