Ottumwa, IA – While the nationally ranked Indian Hills Men's Basketball team is gearing up for a postseason run, a number of former Warrior student-athletes and coaches have made headlines heading into postseason action at the four-year level.
A number of Warrior alums will suit up for the upcoming NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament while a bevvy of individuals garnered postseason accolades from their respective conferences and organizations.
Tyon Grant-Foster | Grand Canyon University
- No. 12 Grand Canyon vs. No. 5 Saint Mary's | Friday, March 22 | 9:05 PM
One of the premiere stories in all of college basketball, Tyon Grant-Foster has burst onto the scene in his first year back in college basketball after suffering a medical emergency that nearly ended his career.
In his first season at Grand Canyon, Grant-Foster was named the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Player of the Year after leading the league in scoring. Grant-Foster and the Lopes secured a No. 12 seed in the upcoming tournament and will matchup with No. 5 seeded Saint Mary's in a game many analysts have picked Grand Canyon to score the upset.
Curtis Jones | Iowa State University
- No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 15 South Dakota State | Thursday, March 21 | 6:35 PM
Curtis Jones has powered the Cyclones into the postseason as the No. 2 seed after winning the 2024 Big 12 Tournament Championship in convincing fashion over No. 1 nationally ranked Houston.
Jones enters the NCAA Tournament averaging 10.5 points per game in his first season in Ames. The former Warrior will lead the Cyclones against NO. 15 South Dakota State on Thursday night.
J'Vonne Hadley | University of Colorado
- No. 10 Colorado vs. No. 10 Boise State | Wednesday, March 20 | 8:10 PM
The 2021-22 ICCAC Player of the Year, J'Vonne Hadley has been an integral part of the Buffaloes' run to the postseason this year. Hadley was recently named the PAC-12 Player of the Week on March 11 after averaging 17.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game to surge into the postseason.
In his first appearance in the Big Dance, Hadley will lead the Buffaloes against No. 10 Boise State in the play-in game Wednesday night with the winner advancing to take on No. 7 Florida.
Don McHenry | Western Kentucky University
- No. 15 Western Kentucky vs. No. 2 Marquette | Friday, March 22 | 1:00 PM
McHenry has exploded onto the scene in his first season for the Hilltoppers. McHenry has racked up a number of postseason honors on his way to the NCAA Tournament. McHenry and the Hilltoppers captured the Conference USA Tournament in thrilling fashion as the 2022-23 ICCAC Player of the Year at Indian Hills was named the CUSA Tournament MVP.
McHenry has also been selected to the All-Conference USA First-Team and the NABC Division I All-District 11 First Team. The Hilltoppers will square off with No. 2 seeded Marquette Friday afternoon.
Enoch Kalambay | Western Kentucky University
- No. 15 Western Kentucky vs. No. 2 Marquette | Friday, March 22 | 1:00 PM
A former NJCAA All-American with the Warriors, Enoch Kalambay has been an instrumental piece of the Hilltoppers' success heading into the NCAA Tournament. Kalambay scored a season-high 12 points in a quarterfinal win for the Hilltoppers and grabbed a season-high nine board in the semifinals that led to the team's CUSA title.
Lado Laku | Arkansas State University
- (CBI) No. 4 Arkansas State vs. No. 13 Bethune-Cookman | Saturday, March 23 | 12:00 PM
Lado Laku and the Arkansas State Red Wolves made a thrilling run to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship game, falling just short. For their efforts, Arkansas State secured its first postseason tournament game since 1999 with a bid to the College Basketball Invitaitonal..
Yacine Toumi | Evansville University
- (CBI) No. 11 Evanvsille vs. No. 6 Quinnipiac | Sunday, March 24 | 4:30 PM
Yacine Toumi helped lead the Purple Aces to its highest win total in six seasons and first postseason appearance since 2015. Toumi, in his second season with Evansville, averaged career-highs of 11.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game on the year while starting all 25 contests this season.
Ryan Myers | Western Illinois University
Former Warrior standout Ryan Myers has made an immediate impact at Western Illinois University. The sharp-shooting guard was named to the NABC All-District 18 Second-Team for his efforts this while also earning Ohio Valley Conference All-Conference Second-Team honors.
Myers ranked 14th in the league in scoring with 13.4 points per game and ranked second in the OVC in three-point shooting percentage at 41.9 percent, the 21st-best mark in the nation this year.
Adetokunbo Bakare | Texas Wesleyan University
In his first season with Texas Wesleyan University, Bakare was named to the Sooner Athletic Conference All-Conference Third-Team after averaging 17.4 points per contest on the year. Bakare also shot an efficient 85.8 percent from the free throw line and averaged 5.0 rebounds per game.
FORMER COACHES
Hank Plona | Western Kentucky University
- No. 15 Western Kentucky vs. No. 2 Marquette | Friday, March 22 | 1:00 PM
Former Warrior head coach Hank Plona has made an impact on the coaching staff of Western Kentucky in his first season with the Hilltoppers. Plona, along with former Warriors Don McHenry and Enoch Kalambay, captured the Conference USA Championship in thrilling fashion to earn the No. 15 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament where the Hilltoppers will match up with Marquette on Friday afternoon.
Nate Schimdt | Iowa State University
- No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 15 South Dakota State | Thursday, March 21 | 6:35 PM
A mainstay on the Iowa State bench over the past several seasons, Schmidt was previously elevated to Assistant Coach in 2022-23 after serving one season as the recruiting and player development coordinator. Schmidt previously served three seasons as a graduate assistant and coordinator of player development from 2014-17 before spending two seasons with the Warriors.
Schmidt and the Cyclones captured the Big 12 Tournament title to earn the No. 2 seed and will match up against No. 15 South Dakota State on Thursday.
Darian Dollar | Richmond University
- (NIT) Richmond vs. No. 3 Virginia Tech | Tuesday, March 19 | FINAL (Va. Tech 74, Richmond, 58)
Former Warrior assistant coach Darian Dollar is in his first season with the Richmond Spiders. Dollar, the program's video coordinator, was a part of a staff that earned a bid to the NIT Tournament where the Spiders fell on Tuesday night to No. 3 seed Virginia Tech.
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