Men's Basketball

LAMONTE NAMED ICCAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR

LAMONTE NAMED ICCAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Posted: Mar 15, 2026

Ottumwa, IA – Following a standout sophomore season for the nationally ranked Indian Hills Men's Basketball squad, KJ LaMonte (Davenport, IA/New Mexico Highlands) has been tapped as the 2025-26 Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) DI Men's Basketball Player of the Year, announced by the league office Monday.

LaMonte helped guide the Warriors to one of its most dominant seasons of all-time, boasting a current record of 30-2 while capturing the ICCAC regular season, National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 11, and NJCAA North Central District Championships.

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Along with LaMonte's individual accolade, the sophomore was joined by seven teammates who were named to the NJCAA All-Region 11 Team. In addition, head coach Cole Dewey was named the 2025-26 ICCAC Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Read More: Eight Named to All-Region 11 Team

Read More: Dewey Named ICCAC Coach of the Year

"KJ Lamonte has been the definition of consistent since the day he stepped foot on campus," stated Dewey. "He shows up daily with a positive attitude and a passion to improve each and every day. As a group, we've preached selflessness, toughness, and attitude from day one, and KJ has represented our program with these characteristics both on and off the court. I know his teammates are going to be excited for him, and I'm sure Warrior Nation will be proud as well, that an Iowa native is walking away with this award."

In his inaugural season with the Warriors, LaMonte starred on both ends of the court for the nationally ranked squad. The sophomore ranked second on the team in points per game with 11.7 while shooting 50.2 percent from the floor and a team-high 85.4 percent from the free throw line. LaMonte added a league-high 46 steals on the year while tallying 2.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds per ballgame.

LaMonte reached double-figures in the scoring column 20 times on the year, including a season-high 19 points twice. The guard led the Warriors with 14.8 points per game in ICCAC contests while shooting a remarkable 60.7 FG% / 60.0 3PT FG% / 91.7 FT% against conference foes.

For his efforts, LaMonte was twice named the ICCAC DI Men's Basketball Athlete of the Week.

As a program, the Warriors have now garnered nine consecutive ICCAC Player of the Year honors.

The Warriors will now await its official seed and future opponents for the upcoming national tournament. Indian Hills will learn its fate on Monday, March 16 at 5:00 PM CST with the official NJCAA Selection Show.

Fans can watch the selection show live via the NJCAA Network

The NJCAA DI Men's Basketball National Championship gets underway March 21 at the Hutchinson Sports Arena in Hutchinson, KS.

NEW YEAR - WHAT TO KNOW

Fans can keep up the Indian Hills Basketball squad all year long through a number of ways:

HOW TO WATCH

As always, GoHillsTV provides free live broadcasts of all Indian Hills Men's Basketball home, away, and postseason games. Fans can tune in a number of ways all season long:

  • GoHillsTV App: Download the Iowa Media Network app on your android or ios device and navigate to the GoHillsTV section
  • Website: https://www.iowamedianetwork.com/gohillstv to catch all live and archived information
  • Roku Streaming Device (new):  Have a Roku TV or streaming stick? Download the GoHillsTV app to start streaming today!

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