2022 Champions

Northwest Florida Muzzles Salt Lake To Secure Third National Championship

(March 19, 2022) Hutchinson, KS – #10 Seed Northwest Florida State vs. #1 Seed Salt Lake CC (UT) battled it out for the 2022 NJCAA Men’s DI National Championship in the 75th Anniversary Edition of the event.

Both teams have two National Titles banked. Salt Lake won it all in 2009 & again in 2016. Northwest Florida got their trophies in 1995 as Okaloosa-Walton CC, and the other in 2015. The Raiders also have two runners-up plaques. The Bruins one.

One shining moment became one shining week for Northwest Florida. Winning 5 games in six day, the latest in dominating fashion, an 83-67 knock out of the #1 Seed and the wire to wire #1 ranked team throughout the regular season, the Salt Lake CC Bruins.

Northwest Florida becomes the seventh team in NJCAA history to claim THREE National Championships. The Raiders join: South Plains College (TX), the last to accomplish it, Hutchinson CC KS (the last to accomplish it), South Plains College (TX), College of Southern Idaho, Southeastern CC (IA), Indian Hills CC (IA), and Independence CC (KS). Three teams have collected four.

The Bruins survived a couple of mandatory 8 counts in the first half, and staggered to their locker room down, 41-15. Salt Lake shot a horrendous 25% from the field, 12.5% from three. The Bruins didn’t hit their first FG until nearly five minutes in, but found themselves only down 4-3, thanks to the Raiders slow start.

Northwest Florida went 4 for 12 from the floor out of the gate but still lead 10-7, as Salt Lake was only going 1 of 8. After that it was pretty much “no contest,” as NW out scored the Bruins 31 to 8 to end the half, including a seventeen to zero stretch which basically decided the outcome.

Not only was the offense clicking for the Raiders, their defense was stellar as well. Holding the nations #2 scoring team in the country (101.9 ppg) to 15 halftime points and 67 for the game, was quite impressive. It was the lowest offensive production from the Bruins all season.

The victory improves the Raiders Championship Game record to 3-2, and delivers the first national title for first year head coach Greg Heiar (pronounced “hire”). Northwest Florida has been in the finals four times since 2012, with two championships in the last eight years.

After two subpar seasons BGH (before Greg Heiar), GH and the Raiders have returned to the glory days, and are certainly making a huge statement for being the top Juco program since the turn of the millennium (11 trips to Hutch). Overall, in the last eleven seasons, the Raiders have qualified for nationals in eight of those, reaching the final four in 2017, and were quarter-finalist three other times in addition to their 4 championship game showings.

Raider Head Coach Greg Heiar on how his team pulled it off, “We had a lot of resilience, we just kept getting better as a team, our maturity, from the beginning, we kept growing, everyday, every week, we just kept getting better. I felt like we went from, not understanding how to win possessions during a game, to understanding how to be become champions. Winning is not easy, but it takes the all of the guys to believe every single day, and they did. I have a simple philosophy, listen, try, apply and compete. And I think our guys did a good job of that all season, and couldn’t have done it any better than they did here on championship night.”

Salt Lake played more champion-like after the break, shooting 56% to finish at 43% for the game, and won the second half 52-42. However, the damage from the first twenty minutes of play proved too much to overcome. NWF sustained much better play including a few mini runs by Salt Lake after the break, but seemed to always have an answer to keep the Bruins more than an arms length away.

Whether it was a Brennan Rigsby triple (or sky walking dunk), a Deshawndre Washington bucket. A Kam Woods running teardrop, a Tre Clark jumper, or a jam from Jaylon McDaniel, orr any of the other Raiders who made big plays and hit big shots for the win, the Bruins never got close enough to really challenge. Salt Lake managed to cut the lead to 16 three times in the last 2 minutes, but trailed by 20+ most of the game.

NWF used a 42-27 advantage on the glass and a 42-26 margin off points in the paint on their way to the decisive outcome. The game had one lead change at 2-1, after the first minute of play, one that Northwest never let go of. In addition, their were no ties.

The Raiders, who finish the season 31-5, were led in scoring by Rigsby, who popped for 24 points on 9-14 shooting. Rigsby also collected seven boards. Woods put in 17 points, 13 of which came in the first half. Meanwhile, Washington, ended with 10 points and 8 rebounds.

For the tournament, Washington scored 71 points, nabbed 34 rebounds, and passed out 17 assists and was selected as the William B. French Most Valuable Player Award Recipient, which technically places him on the All-Tournament team as well. For their week’s efforts, Woods and Rigsby were also selected as All-Tournament Team performers, which is a group of the tournaments top twelve players (as selected by a committee assigned by the NJCAA), plus the tournament MVP.

With a huge grin from ear to ear, this year’s MVP Deshawndre Washington had this to say on his and the team’s performance, “Well, actually, GH (HC Greg Heiar) promised me that if I came (to Northwest) that we’d win the national championship, and I believed that. At the start of the season, I might have doubted that a little, about how good I was as a player, but he kept saying to believe and buy in to what they were telling me as a player and a person, and we’d win, and we did. We had some ups and downs during the season, but we all kept listening and believing and now we’re national champions.”

When asked about how he felt about the hardware he and his teammates earned this week, All-Tournament Team Award Winner Brennan Rigsby replied, “It means the world, it was a new squad coming in this year, and new coaching staff, and to get GH his first championship is huge. We have a great team with a lot of great players, it just means the world.”

Tre Clark of the Raiders was also selected as a member of the All-Tournament Team.

Kam Woods, the V.C. “Bud” Obee Outstanding Small Player Award Winner had these comments, “Winning this national championship means a lot to me, the last couple of years wasn’t so good for the team, and a lot of people counted us out, like we couldn’t turn this thing around in one year. But we got a lot of good DI transfers, and a lot of great high school players who were overlooked, and a great coach. So to come in and shock the world like this, and put us back on the map really means a lot to me.”

The Small Player Award has been given annually to the player displaying good character, leadership, and loyalty to his fellow teammates and coaches, as well as being judged on his defensive ability, indicative of a small player. To be eligible for the award, the player must not be taller than 6’2″.

Salt Lake (35-2), captured a SWAC regular season title, the Region 18 Championship, a West District Championship, but leaves Hutch one tall trophy short from their spectacular season. Scoring leaders for the Bruins were: Jaquan Scott with 11, and Chase Adams with ten. Each of those two also led team with 5 rebounds. SLCC is now 2-2 in championship games.

Head Coach Kyle Taylor in his third year behind the wheel of the Bruin machine, has qualified his program for play in the national tournament in all three seasons. Coach Taylor now becomes the third head coach in Bruin history to have taken a team to a final four.

Making the All-Tournament team for the Bruins were: Qunicy McGriff and Jordan Brinson. In their four games, McGriff scored 45 points with 22 rebounds, while Brinson scored 51 points adding 16 rebounds.