2024 Year in Review: Men's Basketball

This is the first in a series of four stories reviewing Chipola Athletics in 2024

2024 Year in Review: Men's Basketball
January 5, 2025

By John Rushing

Men's Basketball: First of four stories reviewing Chipola Athletics in 2024

MARIANNA, Fla. – Coming into the 2023-2024 basketball season, the Chipola Indians were in unfamiliar territory. Not since head coach Donnie Tyndall's first season at the helm of the Indians, had Chipola entered a basketball season without being the defending FCSAA/Region VIII Champion.

Although the Indians claimed their third consecutive Panhandle Conference Championship as well as made a third trip to Hutchinson, Kansas for the NJCAA Tournament, Chipola fell to rival Northwest Florida State College in the 2023 semifinals of the FCSAA/Region VIII Tournament.

As the calendar rolled over to 2024, the Indians had established themselves once again as one of the best teams not only in the state of Florida but also the NJCAA. With a 16-1 record, Chipola ranked third in the first FCSAA Coaches' Poll of 2024 and 14th in the NJCAA Rankings.

Panhandle Conference season

Although the Indians were the three-time defending conference champions, they had to share a portion of the title each year. In 2021 it was Tallahassee and in 2022, Northwest Florida that Chipola shared the top spot with. Then in 2023, Chipola, the Eagles and the Raiders finished in a three-way tie for the number one spot.

Through the first round of the conference schedule, Chipola put the league on notice that they weren't willing to share this year. The Indians opened with an overtime win on the road against Northwest Florida then went on to defeat their other conference opponents to take control with a 4-0 record, including Coach Tyndall's 100th win at Chipola, a 66-57 win against Pensacola. The Raiders were one game back and Commodores were 2-2. Tallahassee finished the first round 1-3 and Pensacola was winless.

Due to Georgia Highlands College's gym not being ready earlier in the season due to remodeling, Chipola's game with the Chargers was postponed to the Indians' bye week between Gulf Coast and Tallahassee in round one. Georgia Highlands took down the Indians, 68-67, but to make matters worse, sophomore point guard Sami Pissis was lost for the season due to an injury he suffered in the game.

After a homecoming win over Tallahassee to move to 4-0 in conference, the Indians opened the second round with a loss at home to Northwest Florida. The defeat snapped a 29-game win streak at The Milt that dated back to the 2021-2022 season. Things did not get better in the Indians' next game as they fell on the road to Pensacola State. It was the first time in Coach Tyndall's tenure that the Indians lost to the Pirates.

After losing three of their last four games, Chipola held off a rally by the Commodores to restart the home win streak and then spoiled Tallahassee's homecoming to head into the final round of play with a 6-2 record. Chipola got some help from Tallahassee on the same night the Indians lost to Pensacola. The Eagles defeated Northwest Florida on their home floor to keep the Raiders tied with the Indians. It would be the Eagles only win of the second round to give them a 2-6 record through the second round. The Commodores would go winless in round two and also hold a 2-6 record. The Pirates won three of four in the second round to take their record to 3-5.

With the Indians and Raiders tied atop the standings, the third and final regular season meeting between the two teams would possibly determine the conference champion. Both teams still had three other Panhandle games remaining but barring an upset loss, the winner in Raider Arena take sole possession of the top spot.

Normally a win on an opponent's home floor to win a title would be a tall task but the Indians were 11-3 under Coach Tyndall and after winning two state championships on the Raiders' home floor, Chipola was comfortable playing at their "home away from home." After trailing by five at the half, Chipola mounted a comeback to walk away with a 45-41 win.

Chipola would get revenge on the Pirates in their next game, winning with ease by 24 points at home. Then after a 20-point win on the road over the Commodores, Chipola needed to close out the regular season with a win over Tallahassee on Sophomore Night to claim sole possession of the Panhandle Conference Championship.

Chipola used a strong first half to distance themselves from the Eagles and then despite a rally by TCC in the second half, the Indians won 68-60 to claim their 28th Panhandle title.

FCSAA/Region VIII Tournament

Although the Indians finished 26-4 and were ranked 12th in the final NJCAA Rankings, they were given the #3 seed at the State Tournament. #8 Daytona State was the number two seed and #13 Eastern Florida State was the top seed.

Chipola's first round opponent, #23 Indian River, the #6 seed, was a familiar one. The two teams faced one another earlier in the year at the FCSAA Shootout with the Pioneers coming away with a 97-83 win to give Chipola their first loss of the season. The Indians and the Pioneers had also met at Raider Arena in the 2021 and 2022 State Championship games with Chipola winning both.

A 20-point performance by Joshua "Greedy" Williams helped lift Chipola to a first round 83-80 win over the Pioneers. Chipola held a double-digit lead at the half and held on in the final twenty minutes to move on to their fourth consecutive semifinal appearance.

Chipola would face an even more familiar opponent in the semifinals. After winning a play-in game over Miami-Dade, Tallahassee took down the top seed Daytona State Falcons, 113-112, in overtime to set up their fourth meeting with the Indians.

The Eagles gave the Indians all they wanted but despite leading 32-30 at the half, TCC could not hold on as Chipola used Dontae Walker's game-high 19 points to walk away with a 73-68 victory.

After escaping with a one-point win over Florida SouthWestern in the first round, #4 seed Northwest Florida took out the #1 seed, Eastern Florida, 71-62, to set up their fourth meeting of the season, and third in Raider Arena, with the Indians.

After leading 25-19 at the break, Chipola allowed the Raiders to go on a 20-6 run in the first seven minutes of the second half. Trailing 39-31, the Indians held the Raiders without a point for nearly ten minutes. A three by Antonio Baker capped off a 14-0 run and gave the Indians a 45-39 lead with just over four minutes remaining on the clock.

Chipola never trailed in the game but had to survive miscues at the free throw line to take the 50-48 win and their 18th FCSAA/Region VIII Championship.

Tournament Most Outstanding Player Greedy Williams had 14 points and 10 assists for Chipola. He was joined on the FCSAA All-Tournament Team by teammates Jerald Colonel and Antonio Baker. For the third time in four years, Chipola's Donnie Tyndall was recognized as the FCSAA Coach of the Year.

NJCAA Tournament

For the 19th time in school history appeared in the NJCAA Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas. The Indians were seeded sixth and received a bye as one of the top eight seeds.

After a win in the first round, the opponent turned out to be the hometown team, #11 seed Hutchinson Community College. The Blue Dragons defeated the #22 seed, USC Salkehatchie, 96-82, to advance to the second round.

Despite a strong comeback, the Indians were unable to comeback from a 23-3 start, as the #11 seed, Hutchinson Community College moved on to the Quarterfinals with a 78-71 win.

On the strength of six shots from beyond the three-point arc, the Blue Dragons jumped out to a 23-3 lead with just under ten minutes remaining in the first half. The Indians would fight back in the remaining ten minutes before the break and managed to outscore Hutchinson 23-14 to cut the deficit to 11.

With five minutes left in the game, Greedy Williams made a layup to cut the Hutchinson lead down to 10. The Indians' sophomore guard would go on to finish as the game's highest-scorer with 22.

Chipola would manage to draw within five, 71-66, however, with 2:13 remaining, the Blue Dragons' Kernan Bundy hit his only bucket of the night, a three-pointer to extend his team's lead back out to eight.

Chipola wasn't finished yet. A.J. Barnes, who finished with a career high 20 points and 17 rebounds for his first double-double, answered with his second triple and, after a couple of missed shots from both teams, brought the Indians within three after a put back of a missed three-point shot by the Indians with 27 seconds remaining on the clock.

The Indian failed to get any closer. The Blue Dragons sealed the game with a pair of free throws and a dunk for the 78-71 win.

The Indians were without the services of J.J. Walton at the NJCAA Tournament who suffered an injury during practice at Hutchinson days prior to the first game. That, along with injury to Pissis, earlier in the season, left Chipola with a limited roster at the end of the season.

Despite the bad luck, Chipola finished the season 29-5, won their 28th Panhandle Conference Championship, and their 18th Region VIII/FCSAA State Championship.

Postseason Awards

  • Joshua "Greedy" Williams was named to the All-Conference, All-State, and FCSAA All-Tournament First Teams. He was also named the Panhandle Conference's Co-Player of the Year and the Region VIII/FCSAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
  • Jerald Colonel was named to the All-Conference, All-State, and FCSAA All-Tournament First Teams.
  • Antonio Baker Jr. was named to the FCSAA All-Tournament Team.
  • Also named to the All-Conference teams this season were: Dontae Walker (First Team); Zocko Littleton Jr. and Idell "JJ" Walton (Second Team).
  • Donnie Tyndall was named the Panhandle Conference Coach of the Year for the fourth consecutive year and FCSAA Coach of the Year for the third time in four years.

Transfers to Four-Year Schools

Seven of Chipola's eight sophomores moved on to four-year school to finish their education and college basketball careers. The only sophomore that did not sign, J.J. Walton, is sitting out the 2024-2025 season to rehab from the injury he suffered in Hutchinson and looks to get back on the court in 2025-2026.

Assistant Coaches moving on

Head Coach Donnie Tyndall's reputation as a teacher of the game is evident in the success of his teams and the development of student-athletes. Another group of people have benefited from Tyndall's basketball expertise – his assistant coaches. Tyndall's assistant coaches in the 2023-24 season moved on to head coaching jobs in the NJCAA.

Lane Below, an assistant under Tyndall in 2022-23 & 2023-24, was named the Head Men's Basketball Coach at Gulf Coast State College on April 17, 2024. Below and the Commodores will square off with Tyndall and the Indians at least three times in 2025 with two of those meetings at The Milt.

Tyndall's other assistant coach in 2023-24, Greg Schiefen, was named Head Men's Basketball Coach at Gordon State College in Barnesville, Georgia on July 1, 2024.

In all, seven former Chipola assistants who worked under Tyndall have moved on to coaching jobs in the NCAA and NJCAA. Assistant coaches prior to 2023-24 who have moved on:

Defending the Title

Chipola opened up the 2024-25 season at number 10 in the NJCAA Preseason Rankings. Chipola has been in the Top 25 ever since entering the poll on February 22, 2021, the fifth week of Coach Tyndall's first season at Chipola.

The defending Panhandle and FCSAA Champions opened the season at the Milton H. Johnson Health Center with a 69-57 win on November 1 over Albany Tech. The next day, Chipola fell at home for just the fourth time in five seasons. Southwest Mississippi stunned the home crowd with a 69-57 win over the Indians.

Chipola regrouped and won their next seven games, including a 74-66 win over #4 Jones College on day two of the Pensacola State Thanksgiving Classic. A familiar face to Chipola fans ended the streak on the third day of the Classic. #3 Trinity Valley Community College, led by former Chipola head coach Greg Heiar, gave the Indians their second loss of the season, 71-59.

After a home win over South Georgia State College, Chipola would face their third Top 25 team in eleven days, #25 Daytona State, in the FCSAA Shootout at Tallahassee State College. The Falcons won a hard-fought battle, 65-60, to drop the Indians to 9-3 on the season.

Chipola will enter Panhandle Conference play on January 11 at Pensacola State on a six-game win streak. In the six games, Chipola defeated South Georgia Tech and Reid State at home and on the road. The Indians also collected home wins against Lawson State and Albany Tech.

The Indians are led in scoring by sophomore guard Antonio Baker who averages 14.1 points per game. Baker is joined by three others who are averaging double figures: Trent Lincoln (10.9 ppg); Markel Freeman (10.6 ppg); and Justin Burns (10.4 ppg).

 

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