Men's Basketball | 10/30/2025 2:50:00 PM

The Cloud County Community College men's basketball team will open its 2025-2026 schedule in Ottumwa, Iowa as part of the Meridian Credit Union Classic at the Hellyer Center.

The T-Birds will take on William Penn University JV at the four-game event that will feature Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) rival, Pratt Community College, as well as the host school, No. 13 Indian Hills Community College.

Tip-off for the Friday, October 31 game between Cloud County and William Penn University JV is scheduled for 4:30 pm. General admission tickets for the game will be $10, while admission for youth 18 and under is $5.00. Children three and under will be admitted for free.

Fans can also stream the game through GoHillsTV on the Iowa Media Network app by clicking here.

The Hellyer Center, named for Dr. Lyle Hellyer, the former longtime president at Indian Hills Community College, has been home to the Indian Hills Community College men's basketball team since it opened in 1985. The center has also hosted a presidential visit by Barack Obama, a number of concerts, and hundreds of other events in more than three decades on the Indian Hills Community College campus.

The game will be Cloud County's third contest all-time in the Meridian Credit Union Classic. Last year, the T-Birds officially went 2-0 in the tournament. Indian Hills forfeited their season-opening contest against Cloud County due to playing an ineligible player, while the T-Birds defeated Sauk Valley Community College, 82-64, on the second day of the classic.

The 2025 Meridian Credit Union Classic will continue on Saturday, November 1 with Cloud County taking on Indian Hills Community College at 3:30 pm.
 
Cloud County is led by Kyle Pugh, who enters his second year as head coach and welcomes back two All-Conference performers and four returning players for the 2025-2026 season. The T-Birds return sophomores Kuel Akot, Syncere Burnette, Amare Johnson and Elidjah Savane.

Savane was a Second Team All-KJCCC selection who led Cloud County in scoring at 16.8 points per game on 55.0 percent shooting to go with a team-high 8.7 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, 1.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Savane had 13 double-double performances and ranked in the top-10 in the conference in total points, points per game, field-goals made, field-goal percentage, free-throws made, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, total rebounds, rebounds per game, and blocked shots.

Burnette was named Honorable Mention All-KJCCC last year after averaging 12.3 points per game on 44.3 percent shooting and a team-best 45.2 percent mark from three-point range. Burnette also led the team at 3.0 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Burnette started 21 of 31 games last year and scored a season-high 31 points in the team's Region 6 Tournament quarterfinal game at No. 14 Barton on March 11, 2025. Burnette ranked second in the conference in three-point percentage and seventh in the conference in total steals with 49.

Akot started 21 games last year, finishing the 2024-2025 campaign with averages of 7.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game while ranking third on the team in made three-pointers with 43. Johnson started seven games overall, concluding the year averaging 3.0 points per game on 45.3 percent shooting and 1.2 rebounds per game.

Adding to Cloud County's firepower this season are transfers Samuel Akot from Buffalo University, DJ Holloway from Belmont Abbey College, and Manasseh Stackhouse from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The T-Birds also have eleven newcomers in Al Brooks Jr. of Chicago, Illinois, Ikee Brooks of Chicago, Illinois, Kaidan Chatham of Evanston, Illinois, Richard High of Osceola, Arkansas, K'mari Holt of Wichita, Kansas, Ben Nicholson of Great Bend, Kansas, Will Otott of Washington, Kansas, Peyton Retter of Concordia, Kansas, Jack Skocny of Clyde, Kansas, D'ontez Walker of Greenville, South Carolina, and Kam Williams of Greenville, South Carolina.

Last season, Cloud County compiled a 14-18 overall record and a 7-17 mark in KJCCC play. The team drew the No. 11 seed in the 2025 Region 6 Men's Basketball Tournament and advanced to the quarterfinal round after knocking off Colby on the road to earn its third consecutive opening round Region 6 Tournament victory.

The William Penn University Statesmen are a member of the Heart of America Athletic Conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Head coach John Henry, who is in his 25th campaign, owns a career record of 526-256 (.673), has produced 77 all-conference performers, 29 All-Americans, 77 academic all-conference selections, and 34 NAIA Scholar-Athletes. Entering 2025-2026, Henry ranks in the top 20 among active NAIA men's basketball coaches in both wins and winning percentage and has headed 13 teams to NAIA Division I or II National Tournaments (2007, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023).

Coming off the program's 20th all-time trip to the national tournament a year ago, Indian Hills Community College enters the 2025-2026 season ranked No. 13 in the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Preseason Poll. Under the direction of second-year head coach Cole Dewey, the Indian Hills Warriors return four members off last year's NJCAA North Central District and NJCAA Region 11 Championship squad in Mason Costello, Javeyn Martin, Ater Manyuon, and Vladyslav Semerych. Indian Hills wrapped up the 2024-2025 campaign with a 27-6 overall record, including a 4-0 mark in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC). The third-seeded Warriors were bounced out of the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship Tournament by No. 14 seed Vincennes University (IN), 85-71.