Men's Basketball

PLONA NAMED COACH OF THE YEAR

PLONA NAMED COACH OF THE YEAR
Posted: Feb 28, 2022

Ottumwa, IA – Head coach Hank Plona of the Indian Hills Men's Basketball team has been named the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) DI Men's Coach of the Year after guiding the Warriors to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XI Championship.

Plona has now been named the ICCAC Coach of the Year four times in the last five seasons, including the last three campaigns. The coach of the Warriors for the last seven seasons, Plona led Indian Hills to a 26-5 overall record, including a 3-1 mark in the ICCAC. The Warriors were crowned co-regular season champions with Southeastern Community College before defeating the Blackhawks 85-72 on Feb. 26 to win the postseason region championship.

Winners of 12 in a row, the Warriors will now host the upcoming NJCAA North Central District Championship game at 7:00 PM on Saturday, March 5 in the Hellyer Center. The winner will earn an automatic berth to the upcoming NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson, KS March 14-19.

Plona has accumulated a number of signature victories on the year, including six victories over nationally ranked opponents. The Warriors have secured three top-10 wins – vs. No. 2 John A. Logan (IL) on Nov. 23, at No. 7 Southeastern on Feb. 5, and vs. No. 10 Triton on Feb. 19.

After dropping four games before the turn of the new year, the Warriors have hit their stride under Plona since the calendar turned to 2022. Indian Hills has won 13 of its 14 games this year, including the last 12 contests. During the team's 12 game winning streak, the Warriors have outscored its opponents by an average of 21.3 points per game, including a pair of 40-point victories.

Plona has now had win streaks of at least 11 games in each of his seven seasons in Ottumwa. Since taking over at Indian Hills, the Warriors have had remarkably strong finishes to the season. Plona is 50-3 overall in the month of February, including a 7-0 mark in 2022.

Along with Plona's honor, sophomore J'Vonne Hadley (St. Paul, MN/Northeastern) was named the ICCAC Player of the Year. 

HADLEY NAMED ICCAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Fans can reserve their seats to the NJCAA North Central District Championship here: NJCAA NORTH CENTRAL DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS

Fans can also view the game live via GoHillsTV.