NMJC (MBB) to Play Collin College in 1st Round of Region V Tournament 

The No. 15 nationally ranked Thunderbirds ended the regular season with a 25-5 (12-4) record to finish in a tie for second in the WJCAC and qualify for the Region V Tournament in Odessa, Texas March 12-14.

The T-Birds will compete as the No. 3 seed representing the Western Junior College Athletic Conference (WJCAC). They will face No. 2 seed Collin College 22-7 (10-4) from the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference (NTJCAC). 

No. 3 seed NMJC tips off against No. 2 seed Collin in the first round of the Region V Tournament Thursday, March 12 at 5 p.m. CDT at Odessa College. 

The T-Birds finished the WJCAC season in a tie for second place with South Plains at 12-4. WJCAC Champion Howard College finished 13-3 and Midland College was in fourth place at 11-5.

"We couldn't be prouder of how the group stayed together the whole season and continued to grow and develop while always making it about the group and team rather than focusing on personal performance or accolades," NMJC men's basketball head coach Luke Mackay said. 

Coach Mackay is in his fourth season and has improved from 23 wins in Year 2, to 24 wins in Year 3, and now 25 wins in Year 4. He has reached the Region V Tournament three straight seasons. The T-Birds last won the Region V Tournament 13 years ago in 2013.

The T-Birds will earn an automatic bid to Hutchinson with a Region V title. If NMJC does drop a game, they will have to sit and hope for an at-large bid to the national tournament in Kansas. 

The Thunderbirds began conference play at 2-3 and then went on an absolute tear down the stretch going 10-1 in their last 11 games.  

"Those wins are a reflection of who they are as people and how well the guys get along with each other," Coach Mackay said. "Having a group of guys that enjoy being in the gym together and spending time together makes the grind of the season so much easier." 

The Thunderbirds backcourt is led by 6-2 sophomore guard RJ Nance. The UTRGV transfer leads the team in scoring with 13.2 PPG and shoots a team-high 42.1% from beyond the arc. 

Sophomore guard Grigorije Avramovic is the facilitator on the team averaging four assists a game. 

The frontcourt is spearheaded by Delang Muon and Ladji Coulibaly.

6-9 forward Delang Muon is having a stellar sophomore campaign averaging 10.2 PPG and 4.6 RPG. The Melbourne, Australia native is shooting 37% from 3-point territory and 54.6% from the field. 

6-10 center Ladji Coulibaly protects the paint for NMJC with his length averaging 1.3 BPG. Coulibaly leads the team in rebounding at 6.9 RPG. The Kati, Mali native is shooting 57.9% from the field and is averaging 7.6 PPG.      

The Thunderbirds have yet to switch the starting lineup this season with RJ Nance, Kemauri Millender, Grigorije Avramovic, Delang Muon, and Ladji Coulibaly starting all 30 games. 

The Thunderbird defense has been on another level. They rank No. 3 in the NJCAA in opponents' turnovers per game at 20.3 and No. 10 in steals per game at 11.1.

The T-Birds on the offensive side are fourth in the NJCAA in 3-point attempts per game at 32.7 and 10th in 3-point makes per game at 10.1. 

The T-Birds have played Collin in a Region V Tournament setting, upsetting No. 1 seed Cougars 67-57 in the 2024 first round. 

NMJC faced Collin once already this season where they suffered their only non-conference defeat 86-77 on the road over Thanksgiving break.

"Firstly, Collin is coached by a legend in TX NJCAA basketball, and they also have an extremely talented group," Coach Mackay said. "They have great size up front and really look to pound the ball inside and make the game a physical battle in the paint. While that is the most apparent strength in their team at first glance, we also recognize their guards are very talented with the ball and have a great ability to create scoring opportunities for themselves and others. It will no doubt be a back and forth game that will be fun for the fans." 

Both NMJC and Collin have come a long way since that holiday matchup in November. 

"No question our guys remember our game vs Collin over Thanksgiving," Coach Mackay said. "If avenging a loss is our motivation I think we would be approaching it in a negative light. It's been a long time since we played first so we want to learn from that game but also understand there has been a lot of time for growth with both teams, so we want to treat it as a stand-alone game as much as possible." 

Staying in the moment is a big factor for the T-Birds to make a run this week in Region V Tournament. 

"It's important that we stay in the moment and simply focus on what is right in front of us and giving our best to help the team," Coach Mackay said. "Treating the game as another game and not going over the top with our approach will be a huge factor in playing to the best of our ability." 

All tournament games will be streamed for FREE on TSBN Sports here. If on mobile phone please scroll down slightly to watch do not click pop up links.

NMJC 25-5 (12-4) will play Collin College 22-7 (10-4) in the first round of the Region V Tournament Thursday, March 12 at 5 p.m. CDT at Odessa College in Odessa, Texas.

 
Men's Quarterfinals | Thursday, March 12 | Central
1 p.m. | No. 4 Midland vs. No. 1 McLennan
3 p.m. | No. 2 South Plains vs. No. 3 Temple
5 p.m. | No. 3 NMJC vs. No. 2 Collin
7 p.m. | No. 1 Howard vs. No. 4 Ranger