National champion Trinity Valley earns NJCAA tournament honors

Published 12:14 pm Monday, March 31, 2025

Trinity Valley won its first NJCAA Division I men’s basketball championship in program history with a 69-61 win over Connors State on Saturday at the Hutchinson Sports Arena in Hutchinson, Kansas.

After winning four games in the NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament, the Cardinals received multiple honors.

Zati Loubaki was named the William French Most Valuable Player. Loubaki, from Nogent-sur-Oise, France, averaged 15.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game at the national tournament, and he had 17 points and four rebounds in the championship game.

Trinity Valley head coach Greg Heiar, who is in his first season with the Cardinals, was named the Coach of the Tournament. It was Heiar’s second national championship as a junior college head coach, winning with Northwest Florida State in 2022.

Trinity Valley’s Garrett Nuckolls and Tyler Smith both earned all-tournament honors.

Nuckolls, who played at Bullard High School and LaPoynor High School, averaged 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, and he had 17 points, five rebounds and four assists in the title game.

Smith, who is from Chicago and previously played at Mineral Area College for Heiar, averaged 11.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game, and he had 6 points, three rebounds, four assists and three steals in the championship.

Panola’s CJ Worsham and Khoi Thurmon and Angelina’s Jordan Matthews also made the all-tournament team. Other all-tournament selections were DJ Dormu and Edwin Daniel of Connors State, Brent Moss of Barton, LA Hayes of Frank Phillips, Marcus Whitlock Jr. of Cowley, Caleb Blackwell of South Plains and Lebron Thomas of Vincennes.

Dormu also won the Bud Obee Outstanding Small Player Award.

Panola, which won two games before falling to Trinity Valley in the semifinals, was awarded the Charles Sesher Sportsmanship Award.