Pre-Season Ends For MCC

On October 26th McCook Community College men's basketball ended  pre-season play after hosting a jamboree in the state of the art MCC Event Center, on the beautiful campus of McCook Community College.  It was a highly successful day, as MCC hosted 4 teams to the event center!  Western Nebraska CC, Northwest Technical College, Hastings College, and Chadron State College were the teams present!  MCC hopes to expand on the number of teams they invite to the MCC Event Center Jamboree next fall!  Coach Brandon Lenhart had wonderful things to say, "We have the ability to host several teams in our facilities here at McCook CC, our opportunities are endless to host, not only sporting events, but events in many different capacities.  It was a very successful jamboree, and we hope to build off of yesterdays event and bring many teams to the community of McCook." 

After 19 practices and several scrimmages, the MCC Indians seem to be taking strides forward as they open up regular season play at the Colby Classic. "We were very pleased about our team's improvement yesterday, and we are very excited about the direction our basketball family is heading! We look forward to our season opener to powerhouse Garden City Community College, stated Coach Lenhart."

Preparation for regular season play ends on Friday, November 2nd  MCC travels to Colby, KS to take on Garden City CC @ 5:30 pm, at the Colby Classic.  On Saturday, November 3rd MCC will play the host school Colby CC @ 7:00pm.

ANOTHER AREA RECRUIT CHOOSES MCC

The McCook Community College Indians have picked up their second area recruit, Travis Hodgson from Elwood, NE.  Hodgson a 6’1 guard played for Kurt Banzhaf at Elwood High School, where he averaged 23.7 points and 6.8 rebounds.  Hodgson tied a school record by scoring 45 points in a single game on his way to a 1st Team Fort Kearney All-Conference and 2nd Team D-1 All-State selection.

Coach Lenhart commented on Travis’ signing: “Travis should be a great addition to our team next year, and is a solid area recruit for us. He visited the campus recently and we were impressed with his skill level and athleticism.  Travis will have to work hard to continue to improve his game, but he can score in a variety ways. We are very pleased Travis chose to join our Basketball Family for next year.”

Hodgson also received the Most Valuable Player award for the East team in the Cambridge CSO All-Star Game on his way to leading the East All-Stars with 18 points.

Pictured (L to R): Coach Brandon Pritchett, Travis Hodgson, Coach Brandon Lenhart

CONNECTICUT DUO SIGN WITH MCCOOK

The McCook Community College Indians have picked up two commitments from Connecticut, Antwaun Boyd and Tony Dobbinson.  Dobbinson a 5’9 160-pound point guard and Boyd a 6’3 190 guard both from Stamford, Connecticut played for Coach Howard White at Westhills High School.  Dobbinson averaged 15 points, 4 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.2 steals for the Vikings.  He was a two-time All-Conference member, as well as a 2011-12 2nd Team All-State and Senior All-Star Game selection.

Coach Lenhart on the signing of Dobbinson: “Tony is another great addition to our current class of recruits and help give us more depth at the point guard position. He is deceptively athletic, quick, and can shoot the three a little.  We are very excited to add Tony to this year’s recruiting class.”

Boyd averaged 16 points, 2 assists, and 5.4 rebounds per game in the 2010-11 season for Westhills High School.  As a scoring guard, Boyd shot 40% from beyond the arc and 57% from the field on way to leading his team to an 18-7 record and a quarterfinal finish in the Connecticut State Tournament.


“We are really excited to get Antwaun committed to play for us next year,” commented Coach Lenhart. “He is a scoring guard that can come in and play multiple positions for us.  Antwaun is extremely competitive and will bring a winning mentality from the moment he steps in the gym.”

MCCOOK COMMUNITY COLLEGE SIGN MIZZOU TRANSFER

Tony Lester, a 5’10, 175 pound point guard has committed to play for McCook Community College next season.  Tony was a preferred walk-on at the University of Missouri last year, and played a year of prep basketball at Tilton School, where he averaged nine points and four assists leading his team to a 25-6 overall record and a 2011 NEPSAC AA Championship.

Tony attended high school at Gaston Day where he played for Coach Casey Fields, and was an all-conference and honorable mention all-regional selection.  He averaged 17 points and seven assists while leading his team to a 22-10 record and a North Carolina 2A Quarterfinal State Tournament finish.


Coach Lenhart commented on the signing of Tony: “Tony is a great addition to our team next year.  We recruited Tony as a point guard who will be a leader on and off the floor for us.  He is a scoring guard, who with his time at Tilton and Mizzou, has developed into a true point guard with playmaking ability.  He’s a fierce competitor and we are excited to have him as part of our basketball family.”

MCC SIGNS RECRUIT FROM NEW YORK

The McCook Community College Indians add another recruit to their 2012 class with the signing of Shakur Pinder from Brooklyn, NY.  Pinder a 6’7 215 pound forward played for Ruth Lovelace at Boys & Girls High School.  Pinder helped the Kangaroos to a 26-6 record and a Class AA New York State Federation title, the school’s first title of any kind.  In the championship game Pinder had four points, seven rebounds, and four blocks. Boys and Girls High School finished the season in the final rankings of the ESPN HS POWERADE FAB 50.

“We are really excited about Shakur committing to play for us next year,” said Indians’ head coach Brandon Lenhart. “Coming off a state title and a successful career at Boys and Girls, Shakur has a winner’s mentality.  He is a defensive presence with his length and athleticism.  Shakur is still young but has some tremendous potential to be really good here with our style of play.  We are happy to have him join our Basketball Family.”

The Indians have been successful over the years with recruiting in the New York area.  Onyema Utti, an exceptional student athlete for MCC, garnered several awards over his two years; Two Time Academic All-Region, Two Time Academic All Conference, and named to the All-Region Team! “O” was the leading scorer and rebounder from last this last year’s team, and his hometown is Brooklyn, NY.

MCCOOK COMMUNITY COLLEGE SIGNS AREA STANDOUT

The McCook Community College Indians have received a commitment from Clay McNall of Loomis, NE. McNall a 6’0 guard averaged 14.3 points. 3.3 assists, 3 rebounds, and 3.5 steals for Steve Johnson at Loomis High School. McNall led the Wolves to a fourth place finish in the Nebraska D-2 State Tournament, and garnered 1st Team Fort Kearney All-Conference and 1st Team D-2 All-State honors this past season.

“Everything we did this year started with Clay,” commented Coach Johnson. “Offensively, whenever we needed a shot, we looked to Clay. He is really good at catching off the pass and has a very quick burst to the basket if you close out on him hard. He created so many problems for the opposition with his defense that at times, they really struggled to get into any flow against us.”

Coach Lenhart on the signing of McNall, “We are really excited to have Clay on board with us next year. His toughness and competitiveness that he brings to the table night in and night out will be a great addition to our team. Defensively he is physical and has the ability to guard at a high level, while on offense he can score in multiple ways. We are very proud to have Clay as part of our basketball family and look forward to working with him in the near future.”


Pictured Left to Right: Cole Carraher (Athletic Director), Steve Johnson, Brandon Lenhart, Nicole Hardwick (Principal), Mitzi and Chuck McNall (Parents)