ICCAC Announces Best of Division II Men's Basketball

FOR RELEASE - The ICCAC released the 2019-20 All-Region awards for Division II Men's Basketball, and the recognitions represented the parity of the league.

Just as the regular-season conference championship was split between two teams (Kirkwood and DMACC), so was the Player of the Year award. Kirkwood's Luke Appel and Iowa Lakes' Justin Brookens shared the honor this season after their performances. 

Appel, a sophomore from Marshalltown, Iowa, helped lead the Eagles to a third-straight ICCAC regular-season title. A Second Team selection a year ago, Appel was the conference's leading rebounder, pulling down 10 rebounds per game in 14 games.

The do-it-all power forward was also eighth in the league in assists (41) and sixth in points per game (16.1). Efficiently, he shot 57.5 percent from the field, third-best.

A transfer from Bryant & Stratton (Wisc.), Brookens propelled Iowa Lakes to another competitive season. The guard was the conference's best scorer, tops in the league at 20.1 points per game in 14 contests. Brookens was an assassin from three-point range, shooting 48-98, a scorching 49-percent.

Not only a scorer, Brookens led the league in assists (68), as floor general point guard. A near 50-40-90 shooter, he just missed that mark going 46.5% from the field, 49% from deep and 90% from the line.

The 2019-20 Coach of the Year award was given to DMACC's Josh Sash. The first-year coach led the Bears to their first title regular season and Region XI titles since 2014-15.

An Oskaloosa, Iowa native, Sash has been coaching NJCAA basketball since 2010. He took the DMACC job after serving as an assistant at Indian Hills for the past two seasons. DMACC returns to the Division II National Tournament for the first time since finishing fourth in 2015.

Six other players were recognized to the ICCAC Division II Men's Basketball First Team.

From the Region XI Champion, DMACC's Demarion Bariffe-Smith and Zach Lester were selected to the First Team. The Bears were perhaps the most balanced team in the league.

Lester was top-10 in the ICCAC in scoring at 192 total points (10^th), steals (17, 8^th), and threes made (29, 7^th). In the Bears' three regional tournament games, Lester connected on 13 of 18 threes, including tying his season-high of five in the Region XI Championship.

Bariffe-Smith averaged 12.7 points per game, third-best on the team. He was active defensively, finishing fifth in rebounds per game (7.3) and seventh in steals (19). He shot 50% from the field and 46% from long range.

NIACC, the 2019-20 Region XI runner-up, was led by a backcourt duo Quentin Hardrict and Deundra Roberson. Both hailing from the Twin Cities metro, Hardrict and Roberson were the No. 3 and 4 scorers in the conference.

Hardrict averaged 17.3 (4^th) in 13 games and led the league in free throws made (70). He was third in assists with 60. Hardrict was an Honorable Mention selection last season.

Roberson scored 17.9 per game in 12 games. He was an active defender as well, leading the ICCAC in steals with 33. 

From Kirkwood, joining Appel, was sophomore Devonte' Thedford. An NJCAA All-Tournament team selection from the 2019 NJCAA Championship team, Thedford was great again for the Eagles this season.

The Des Moines, Iowa, Hoover High graduate was fifth in assists (47), fifth in free throws made (51), third in free throw percentage (85.1) and top-10 in scoring (197, 9^th).

Rounding out the First Team was lone freshman selection from Iowa Lakes, Keshawn Pegues. Pegues averaged a near double-double with 11.4 points per game and 9.5 rebounds in conference play.

The 2019-20 ICCAC Division II Basketball All-Region teams were selected by the head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own players.

Player of the Year: Justin Brookens, Iowa Lakes | Luke Appel, Kirkwood 

Coach of the Year: Josh Sash, DMACC