Kirkwood Mens Basketball

King sparks No. 14 Eagles by Mesa

OTTUMWA - Chris King popped in 22 points and dished out 13 assists Friday as the 14th-ranked Kirkwood Eagles began the season with an 87-77 victory over Mesa Community College in the opening round of the  Indian Hills Classic in Ottumwa.

King, a 6-foot point guard from Des Moines, also grabbed five rebounds in the victory and hit four 3-point shots.

Carlo Marble made three 3-pointers for Kirkwood and scored 19 points.  Doug Wilson scored 15 points and Jay Small added 11 points with three 3-pointers.

The Eagles made 14 3-pointers in the ballgame in 31 attempts.

Brent Kimbrel topped Mesa with 19 points.

Read more...

Young Eagles begin year at No. 14 in nation

If you'd like to figure out who's playing for the Kirkwood men's basketball team this season, make sure you pick up a roster when you get to Johnson Hall for a game.

There are a lot of new names and faces to memorize.

There are 12 new players on the 15-man roster this season. That makes only three returning players for Coach Bryan Petersen, and sophomore Ethan Meeker will be sidelined another month with a broken wrist after being a key player for Kirkwood last year.

Chris King and Carlo Marble are the only two veterans who will take  the court Friday night when the 14th-ranked Eagles open the season against Mesa Community College at the Indian Hills Classic in Ottumwa.

Petersen said the Eagles have looked just "OK" in preseason drills.

"The group has grown in some areas, but it's been a very up-and-down fall when it comes to consistency, but that's usual when it comes to freshmen," he remarked.

"We're a little behind. I think it was expected a little bit, having so many new guys."

Read more...

Da'Rion King signs with East Central

Kirkwood center Da'Rion King will continue his college basketball career at East Central University in Ada, Okla.

East Central is an NCAA Division II school that competes in the Great America Conference.

King, a 6-foot-6 sophomore from Racine, Wis., averaged 11 points and six rebounds for Kirkwood this season and shot 58 percent from the field during his career.

King received all-regional honors at Kirkwood and helped the Eagles win the NJCAA Division II national title as a freshman in 2016.

KCC's Wentzien will play ball for UNI

CEDAR FALLS - When Miles Wentzien transferred to Kirkwood Community College last season, he hoped playing for the Eagles would lead to a spot at an NCAA Division I school.

It happened Wednesday.

Wentzien has accepted a scholarship to play for Coach Ben Jacobson at  the University of Northern Iowa after starring for Kirkwood during the 2016-17 campaign.

Wentzien, a versatile 6-foot-3 swingman from Fort Madison, averaged  14.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists for the Eagles and was named a junior college All-American.

Wentzien is the third straight Kirkwood guard to earn All-America honors and sign with UNI, joining Hunter Rhodes and Jordan Ashton.  Wentzien was also on the Dean's List for both of his semesters at Kirkwood.

Wentzien began his college career at Missouri Western before switching to Kirkwood.