• DMACC begins the season as the top-ranked team in NJCAA Division II
• Bears must replace top six players from national championship team
• DMACC is coming off its best season in school history

The DMACC men's basketball team begins defense of its national championship on November 1 when the Bears host the William Penn University junior varsity (WPUJV) at 7 p.m. inside the DMACC gymnasium.

DMACC is coming off its best season in school history, compiling a 21-5 record and winning the school's first-ever National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II national championship. The Bears also won their second consecutive Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) regular season title and took the NJCAA Region XI championship to advance to the national tournament where they defeated Davidson-Davie Community College (DDCC), 86-75, in the title game.

DMACC begins the 2021-22 season as the top-ranked team in NJCAA Division II and can expect to have a target on its back the entire season.

"Even through our jamborees and scrimmages people have been fired up to play us," said second-year head coach Brett Putz. "That's something we've talked about a lot. What we did last year and beginning the season as No. 1, we are well aware that people will be fired up and ready to play us. It's a great honor."

Putz has a daunting task in front of him if he expects his team to successfully defend its championship as all five starters and the top six players from that championship team have graduated and moved on to four-year programs.

"That was a different team and at the end of the day we have guys on this team who were on that team as well, but as a collective group we are a different team," Putz said. "We need to be making sure that we are working to leave our own legacy, that this team is leaving its own legacy and not trying to live off someone else or another team's success. We've done a pretty good job of understanding that and buying into that."

Key returnees from the 2020-21 team include sophomore Michael Hartford of McKinney, Texas, Covid-19 freshman (CoFR) Preston Thomas of Princeton, Mo., CoFR Jean Francois of Coral Springs, Fla., and CoFR Goanar Biliew of Denison. Hartford redshirted last season and Thomas, Francois and Biliew saw a lot of playing time and have shown considerable improvement in preseason practices, jamborees and scrimmages.

"Hartford is healthy and has been playing well," Putz said. "Francois has done a great job with his effort, energy and leadership and Thomas has really taken some nice steps being able to shoot the basketball and make shots for us. Biliew has taken a nice step with his confidence and his skill level and his decision making."

Key newcomers include guards Covid-sophomore (CoSO) Jadan Graves of Syracuse, N.Y., CoSO Noah Parcher of LaCrosse, Wis., freshman James Glenn of Altoona, freshman Greg Brown of Omaha, Neb., freshman Joseph Blair of Biella, Italy and freshman Allen Udemadu of Lagos, Nigeria.

Putz said Graves and Parcher are transfers and are vying for playing time at the guard positions.

"They make good decisions with the basketball and they are both able to make shots," Putz said. "Glenn has done a nice job of getting acclimated to things and Brown is a really good utility guy and a really good defender. Blair can do a lot of different things on the basketball court. He's got a great feel for the game, he's a good passer and he shoots the ball well. Udemadu is just a big, strong athletic kid. We haven't had a kid that looks like him and can do some of the things he can do at DMACC in a while."

Putz said his team is capable of playing good defense but has mechanical and floor disciplinary things that need to be corrected.

"We have the capabilities of being a very strong defensive team, but it comes down to where is our mindset? Does our mindset want us to be a good defensive team? At the end of the day defense is all about your mindset and that's where we have to continue to grow to reach our potential."

Putz said his team will be disciplined on offense. He said he is not opposed to open three-pointers from good shooters, but that it's all about understanding what a good shot for his team is and working to get that shot.

"I really like the makeup of our team at the end of the day," Putz said. "I think we have more depth than we did a year ago and we have some interchangeable pieces that can really make us a good team. We've really bought into sharing the basketball and we don't have that care about who gets the shots. They understand that it's the best shot for our team on that possession. We just have very nice balance with inside guys, guys

who can shoot the basketball and guys who can make the right plays off the dribble and off of the ball screens. I'm just really happy with the balance we have on our team."

Rounding out the team roster are CoFR Malachi Peasley of Panora; CoFR Jimarius Sneed of Chicago, Ill.; sophomore Hakeen Odunsi of Iowa City; freshman Dei Jengmer of Grand Island, Neb.; freshman Elija Gair of Wiliamsport, Penn.; freshman Tagen Douma of Pleasantville; and freshman Jack Ticic of Sydney, Australia.

Following the WPUJV game, the Bears will play in the North Central Missouri Classic Nov. 5 and 6 at Trenton, Mo. DMACC will face No.19 North Central Missouri in that tournament and on Nov. 12 the Bears will play No. 14 John Wood Community College (JWCC) in the John Wood Classic.

Other ranked opponents this season include Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) rivals Kirkwood Community College (KCC) and Iowa Lakes Community College (ILCC). KCC is ranked third in the preseason poll and ILCC, whom DMACC beat in the semifinals of the 2021 national tournament, is ranked sixth. The Bears will play each team twice during the regular season.