Coach Pigatti said: “I am extremely happy for Jemel. This award is well deserved. He led all of college basketball (NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA) in scoring and did it with a versatile game. He grabbed almost 10 rebounds, dished out almost 6 assists and snatched over 3 steals a game. This award validates all of his hard work he put in this season on the court and in the classroom. His game will greatly transpire to the next level of his basketball career and his future is very bright. It was an honor and privilege to coach this fine young man this season”.

South Suburban College is located at 15800 S. State Street in South Holland, IL. For additional information please contact Coach John Pigatti at (708) 596-2000, ext. 2524, or email JPigatti@ssc.edu.

PHOTO: Jemel Jones, South Suburban College Men’s Basketball Team

The team’s remarkable season, marked by perseverance, teamwork, and outstanding performances, is exemplified by their impressive 34-3 record. Key victories include a decisive triumph in the Midwest District A Championship over Waubonsee CC, with a final score of 94-82. Standout players Quentin Heady and Reggie Abram were recognized for their exceptional performances, earning spots on the District Tournament All-Tournament Team, while Jemel Jones secured the title of Tournament MVP.

Advancing to the NJCAA Division II National Championship Tournament, SSC continued its winning streak, securing victories against formidable opponents. In an exhilarating journey to the championship game, the team displayed their skill and determination, ultimately securing the title of National Runner-Up.

Notable individual achievements and recognitions further highlight the team’s excellence. Head Coach Pigatti was honored as the Midwest District A Coach of the Year, a testament to his leadership and dedication. Jemel Jones, named Region IV Player of the Year, achieved remarkable milestones, including scoring over 1000 points in the season and leading college basketball. Quentin Heady and Julius Byrd were also recognized for their exceptional contributions, earning spots on the Region IV 1st and 2nd teams, respectively.

Throughout the season, SSC Men’s Basketball Team achieved numerous milestones, including Coach Pigatti’s 500th career win and the team’s 64th consecutive home game victory. Their consistent dominance in college basketball is reflected in their impressive rankings, finishing the regular season ranked #3 in the country. Additionally, SSC holds the distinction of being the winningest basketball program in college basketball over the past 18 seasons.

“It was quite the season. Our players accomplished a lot this season. I am very proud of their commitment, work ethic and their ability to overcome a lot of adversity this season. To get to the National Championship game was quite an accomplishment. We had a lot of accolades this season, but more importantly was their ability to come together as a team and grow as young men. The 2023-24 Men’s Basketball team has a lot to be proud of.”

South Suburban College congratulates the Men’s Basketball Team on their outstanding season and looks forward to continued success in the years to come.

View Postseason Honors:

Won the NJCAA Midwest District A Championship:
*Defeated Waubonsee Community College (94-82) for the Title
*2 Players Named to the District All-Tournament Team: Quentin Heady and Reggie Abram
*Tournament MVP: Jemel Jones

Runner-Up at the NJCAA Division II National Championship Tournament:
*1st Round: Defeated Florida State College – Jacksonville (86-79)
*Quarterfinal Game: Defeated Parkland College (79-70)
*Semifinal Game (Final 4): Defeated Ellsworth Community College (89-75)
*Championship Game: Defeated by National Park College (84-79)
*3 Players Named to the National All-Tournament Team: Jemel Jones, Julius Byrd and Quentin Heady
*Jemel Jones Led All Players in Scoring at the National Tournament with 147 Points

More Notable Recognition for Student-Athletes and Coaching Staff:
*National Association of Basketball Coaches selected Jemel Jones to the ’23-’24 NJCAA DII All-America Team The NABC also named Jones the National 2-Year College Player-of-the-Year
*Jemel Jones Named NJCAA DII National Player-of-the-Year: Jones is the Fourth Student-Athlete in the Last Five Years to Earn this Recognition Under Coach Pigatti’s Leadership
*Coach Pigatti Named Midwest District A Coach of the Year (13th Time in 18 Seasons at SSC)
*Jemel Jones Named Region IV Player-of the Year (This season, Jemel was named National Player of the Week twice, scored over 1,000 points, and led all of college basketball (regardless of division: NCAA, NJCAA, NAIA) in scoring.)
*Quentin Heady Named Region IV 1st Team All-American
*Julius Byrd Named Region IV 2nd Team All-American

Ranking & Milestones Reached in 2023-2024 Season:
*Bulldogs Won Their 64th Consecutive Home Game
*Coach Pigatti Earned 500th Career Win at Game on December 16, 2023
*Coach Pigatti’s Record as SSC Men’s Head Basketball Coach: 523-93
*Coach Pigatti has Most Wins at the National Championship Tournament of Any Coach in History
*SSC Men’s Basketball Team Has the Most NJCAA Division II National Tournament Appearances of Any Team in the Country
*Over The Past 18 Seasons, the Men’s Basketball Team had the Most National Players of the Year, and the Most 1st Team All Americans of Any School in the Nation
*SSC Men’s Basketball Team Finished the Regular Season Ranked 3rd in the Country
*SSC Men’s Basketball Team Ranked #1 at Least 9 Times in the Past 18 Seasons
*SSC Men’s Basketball Team Ranked in Top 15 Poll Every Year Under Coach Pigatti’s Leadership (18 Seasons)
*Over the Past 18 Seasons, the Bulldogs are Winningest Program in All of College Basketball

IMAGE: National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) logo.

The #3 ranked Bulldogs won the Midwest District A Championship on Saturday, March 9th with a 94-82 victory over Waubonsee Community College. SSC was led in scoring by sophomore guard Jemel Jones’ 29 points. Jemel also grabbed nine (9) rebounds and dished out eight (8) assists. Jones’ teammates played together in harmony! Three (3) sophomore guards scored in double figures: Chris Harrison (16 pts.), Reggie Abram (14pts.), and Julius Byrd (11 pts.) Freshman forward Quentin Heady also scored in double figures for SSC as he chipped in 14 pts), while grabbing eight (8) rebounds. Teammates Heady and Abram were named to the All-Tournament Team. Jones was named the Tourney MVP. We commend our men’s basketball team for a job well done!

Special acknowledgment to Coach John Pigatti and his commitment to excellence by earning Midwest District A Coach of the Year Award (it is his 13th time in 18 seasons winning this prestigious award)!

For more information on the Men’s Basketball Team, contact Coach John Pigatti via email at jpigatti@ssc.edu or call (708) 596-2000 Ext. 2524.

PHOTO: South Suburban College Bulldogs (Men’s Basketball Team)

The Bulldogs will kick off the upcoming season on Wednesday, November 1st, with a home game against Trinity Christian (JV) at 7:00 p.m. Under the guidance of Coach Pigatti, who enters his 18th season, the Bulldogs are steadfast in pursuing their 13th Region IV title. In 2022, the team made history as the sole undefeated team to win a National Championship. The 2023-24 roster features Jemel Jones, the nation’s leading returning scorer, alongside eight players hailing from the northwest Indiana and southern Chicago suburbs.

To learn more about SSC’s Athletic Program, please get in touch with Athletic Director Steve Ruzich at sruzich@ssc.edu or call (708) 596-2000, ext. 5843. SSC’s primary campus is located at 15800 South State Street, South Holland, Illinois, with its Oak Forest Center extension located at 16333 South Kilbourn Avenue, Oak Forest, Illinois.

PICTURED: The 2023-2024 South Suburban College Men’s Basketball Team.

During his robust coaching career, he has won 12 Region IV Championships at SSC and has been named Region IV Coach of the Year 12 times. In addition, Pigatti has coached the last three national players of the year with five total. He has had 16 All-Americans and 13 named to the 1st team. Last season he received the National Two-Year College Coach of the Year award and was the 2017 College Insider’s Jack Bennett Man-of-the-Year Recipient.

If you want to learn more about SSC’s Athletic Program, contact Steve Ruzich, Athletic Director, at (708) 596-2000, ext. 2524. SSC’s main campus is located at 15800 South State Street, South Holland, Illinois. The college’s extension site, the Oak Forest Center, is located at 16333 South Kilbourn Avenue, Oak Forest, Illinois.

“It is quite the honor to be recognized by the IBCA. They are an extremely prestigious organization and to be honored by them is a very humbling,” Pigatti remarked. “I give all the credit to our special players that made a historic run last year. What we did was very special, and to do it by beating every junior college team by double digits except one was even more satisfying. Our team is very proud of what we accomplished last season.”

The 2021-22 SSC Men’s Basketball Team trailblazed their way into history. Not only did they earn the college’s first-ever NJCAA DII National Championship on March 19, 2022, they also achieved the distinction as the first team in NJCAA DII history to go undefeated with a record of 33-0. Shortly thereafter, various accolades poured in as many student-athletes received post-season recognition. This was capped by Pigatti being named NJCAA DII Coach of the Year, followed by a number one ranking in the NJCAA DII pre-season poll to begin the 2022-23 season.

The SSC Men’s Basketball Program has won 40 straight games, which is the longest winning streak in all of college basketball, regardless of division. The Bulldogs have also won the most consecutive games in NJCAA DII history. The next game for the SSC Men’s Basketball Team is scheduled for Tuesday, November 29, 2022 at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs will tip-off against the Pioneers of Prairie State College in the SSC Physical Fitness & Athletic Center, located on the southwest end of the Main Campus at 15800 South State Street, South Holland, Illinois. Support the Bulldogs and the man who recently led this team to the NJCAA DII National Championship. Questions about the SSC Men’s Basketball Team can be directed to Head Coach John Pigatti at (708) 596-2000, ext. 2524.
 

Pigatti stated, “We are honored to be the pre-season number one ranked team in the country. It is a tribute to last year’s team and all of the prior teams. They have established a great tradition of winning here at SSC. We are excited about starting the new season. We have a lot of new players and look forward to challenges that lie ahead.”

The Bulldogs will open the 2022-2023 season on Thursday, November 3, 2022, at Wilbur Wright College in Chicago, Illinois. The Bulldogs will return four players from last year’s undefeated national Championship team. The team will vie for its 13th regional and national championship tournament appearance.

If you are interested in participating in the Men’s Basketball program, please get in touch with Coach Pigatti at (708) 596-2000, ext. 2524. The South Suburban College Main Campus is located at 15800 South State Street, South Holland, Illinois. The college’s extension site, the Oak Forest Center, is located at 16333 South Kilbourn Avenue, Oak Forest, Illinois.
 

“It’s always a pleasure to come before our college’s Board of Trustees under these circumstances,” said John Pigatti, NJCAA DII National Coach of the Year. “I’m so pleased that the Board is recognizing this team for what they did for the Bulldogs Athletic Program and for representing the college in a first-class manor throughout the entire season. But we want to thank the Board for all of their support, as well.”

Coach Pigatti adds his first National Championship to 12 Regional Championships he has won during his 16-year tenure as Head Coach of the SSC Men’s Basketball Team.

Freshman Guard, Demarco Minor, a local Thornton High School alumnus, earned National Player of the Year honors, among several other recognitions. “It felt great to represent my community at a national level,” said Minor. “All of the work – the sweat, blood and tears – we invested in the game to represent our community at the national level, was amazing. It feels good to see that all of our hard work paid off.”

In total, the individual accolades the 2022 National Champion Bulldogs earned include:

• John Pigatti: NJCAA DII Coach of the Year
• Damarco Minor: NJCAA Division II National Player-of-the-Year, Region IV-A Player-of-the-Year, MVP National Championship Tournament & Regional Tournament, 1st Team All American, National Player of the Week
• Camron Donatlan: 3rd Team All-American, 1st Team All Region IV-A, All Tournament Team: National Championship and Regional Tournaments, National Player of the Week
• Damontae Taylor: 2nd Team All Region IV-A, All Tournament Team: National Championship and Regional Tournament
• Nmesomachi Nnebedum: All Tournament Team: National Championship Tournament

Chairman Terry R. Wells, who attended all but one game at the national tournament in Danville, IL, stated: “We could not be prouder of Coach Pigatti and the coaching staff, and especially our student-athletes not only for bringing SSC our first national championship, but also for the way they conducted themselves during the national tournament and throughout the extensive media coverage following their historic season. Congratulations on a job well done.”

For more information, contact Coach Pigatti at (708) 596-2000, ext. 2524, or email jpigatti@ssc.edu. SSC is located at 15800 South State Street, South Holland, Illinois.
 

“It is a great feeling to win the national tournament, but I am even more impressed that these men were able to go undefeated all year,” said Head Coach John Pigatti. “All of the credit goes to the players – they were really locked in and stayed focused together all week here in Danville. We played some excellent teams and still held three of our opponents to their lowest point totals and the fourth to their second lowest all year.”

Local talent Demarco Minor, a freshman guard from Thornton High School in Harvey, IL, was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament. He is joined on the All-Tournament Team by Damontae Taylor, a freshman forward from Zion-Benton High School in Waukegan, IL, Camron Donatlan, a sophomore guard from West Aurora High School in Aurora, IL, and Nmesomachi Nnebedum, a sophomore guard from Loy Norrix High School in Kalamazoo, MI.

“I am very appreciative of the support I have received since I came to SSC 16 years ago: from President Stokes and the Board of Trustees, the administration, our Athletic Director Steve Ruzich, and of course our fans,” Pigatti added. “I am proud to bring a championship home to such an outstanding school. These players and the entire South Suburban College community deserves this.”

Pigatti adds his first National Championship to 12 Regional Championships he has won during his 16-year tenure as Head Coach of the SSC Men’s Basketball Team.

SSC is inviting the community to celebrate with the team at a special Bulldogs Championship Banner Unveiling on Saturday, March 26 at 12 noon at the SSC Fieldhouse. All media and fans are encouraged to attend to view the banner, enjoy light refreshments, and hear from players, coaches and special guests.

For more information, contact Coach Pigatti at (708) 596-2000, ext. 2524, or email jpigatti@ssc.edu. SSC is located at 15800 South State Street, South Holland, Illinois.