Men's Basketball Finishes No. 4 at National Tournament

It's been an amazing ride for Kalamazoo Valley's men's basketball players this season, first winning their conference, then being named state champs and next finishing No. 4 at the national tournament.

While the team did not take home the national title, they won the first round of play and a quarterfinal game, and in doing so made Kalamazoo Valley Community College history. This was the first time that the Cougars have ever won a game at the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Men's Basketball Championship since the college's founding in 1966.

The team was seeded seventh in the national tournament. They made it all the way to the semifinals, but fell to No. 3 seed, Kirkwood Community College of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 88-73, on Friday, March 21. The Cougars left with the honor of being one of the Final Four.

"Hats off to the Kalamazoo Valley men's basketball players on a history-making season," Athletic Director Russ Panico said. "They've worked hard for it."

The Cougars had achievement after achievement this season: The players collectively had an average GPA of 3.23 for the Fall 2024 semester. Valley's Head Men's Basketball Coach Jim Horn was named Coach of the Year for the Western Conference of the Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA) for 2024-2025.

Then, sophomore guard Joey Liedel was chosen Western Conference Player of the Year, sophomore MaKyle Doss was selected Western Conference Defensive Player of the Year and sophomore Ramere Draper was named to the National All-Tournament Team. Another point of pride was Liedel reaching the rare career college milestone of 1,000 points during a home game on Jan. 4.

In addition to the two game wins on the national stage, the Cougars' record on the local and state levels has been impressive this season. On March 1, the team won the MCCAA State Championship before an audience of over 700 fans at the college's Texas Township Campus. They beat Macomb Community College, 93-85. This is the third consecutive year that the men's basketball team has been the state champion.

On Feb. 26, the Cougars ended their season as the conference champs. They finished the season at Glen Oaks Community College winning, 103-98, proudly concluding with a 14-0 record in the MCCAA Western Conference (an overall record of 28-1). They rank No. 1 in the conference, and No. 7 in the country among Division II community colleges.

Visit athletics.kvcc.edu for a full list of Kalamazoo Valley men's and women's basketball players earning athletic awards this season