Kirkwood Mens Basketball

Wilson named 1st team All-American

Doug Wilson of Kirkwood has been honored as a first team All-American by the NJCAA men's basketball selection committee, it was announced Monday.

Wilson led Kirkwood to the 2019 NJCAA Division II national title and had an enormous game in the finals with 30 points, 15 rebounds, five blocks and four assists in a 64-58 victory over Johnson County.

Wilson, a 6-foot-7 sophomore from Des Moines, averaged 21 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.8 blocks to help the Eagles finish with a 31-4 record. He shot 67 percent from the field, which ranked third-best in the country.

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Wilson leads Kirkwood to national title

DANVILLE, Ill. - Doug Wilson played like an All-American Saturday night. Better yet, he played like a national champion.

Wilson poured in 30 points and snared 15 rebounds for a monster double-double as Kirkwood topped Johnson County Community College, 64-58, in the championship game of the NJCAA Division II national tournament at the Mary Miller Center in Danville, Ill.

Wilson canned 13 of 23 shots, blocked five shots, handed out four assists and even banked in the first 3-pointer of his career to beat the shot clock at a critical point in the game.

For his efforts, the 6-foot-7 sophomore from Des Moines was honored as the MVP of the tournament. Two of his buddies, Devonte Thedford and Allante Pickens, joined Wilson on the all-tournament team.

Wilson was simply magnificent in the biggest game of the year on a national stage.

"He's the best I've ever coached," said Kirkwood Coach Bryan Petersen, who pocketed his second national title in four years. "He's a special winner. And how much he's grown.

"Tonight was another night where he just put us on his back for a few moments and got it done. I can't say enough about his leadership and how much he bought into our program.

"He's one of the best ones to ever wear an Eagle uniform."

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No. 1 Eagles soar into national title game

DANVILLE, Ill. - The Kirkwood Eagles played like national champions in  the first half against Erie Community College Friday night in the  semifinals of the NJCAA Division II tournament.

Now the Eagles (30-4) will try to finish the job when they face  Johnson County Community College of Kansas (31-4) for the national  title Saturday night at 7:30.

The Eagles took most of the suspense out of their semifinal date with  Erie with a sensational first half when they made 18 of 23 shots for  an incredible 78.3 percent, paving the way for an 84-70 victory that  lifted Kirkwood into the national finals.

All-American Doug Wilson and guard Allante Pickens were unstoppable in  the stanza as Kirkwood build an early 38-9 lead on its way to a 50-29  cushion at halftime.

The Eagles did nothing wrong in the first 12 minutes of the game.

"It was pretty incredible," said Kirkwood Coach Bryan Petersen. "And I  thought our defense was pretty locked in as well.

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No. 1 Eagles claw past Niagara County

DANVILLE, Ill. - Winning a national championship is never easy, no  matter how good you are.

The Kirkwood Eagles learned that lesson Wednesday night but lived to  play another day.

The top-ranked Eagles clawed past Niagara County of New York, 80-65,  in the quarterfinals of the NJCAA Division II tournament and will play  in the semifinals Friday night.

Kirkwood (29-4) will face Erie (N.Y.) or Milwaukee Area Tech in the  next round. Erie, the No. 4 seed, and Milwaukee Tech, the No. 5 seed,  meet in the quarterfinals Thursday night.

Devonte Thedford, Kirkwood's top point guard, was called for two  charging fouls in the first 3 1/2 minutes of the game and watched the  rest of the first half from the bench, but the Eagles rallied for a  35-31 edge at intermission after trailing by eight points.

Thedford scored seven straight points to start the second half and the  Eagles appeared on their way, but he was called for his third foul  with 15:25 remaining and headed to the bench again for the next six  minutes.

Fortunately for Kirkwood, Thedford did not collect another foul and  wound up with 21 points in just 16 minutes, 28 seconds of action. He  killed Niagara County at the foul line, hitting 15 of 17 free throws.

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