Six ICCAC Men's Basketball Players Placed on 2026 NJCAA All-American List
The NJCAA released its 2025–26 All-American Teams for men's basketball, and six standout ICCAC players were selected across Divisions I and II.
In Division I, Indian Hills finished with three All-Americans—the first time a team has accomplished that in ICCAC history. It also continues the All-American streak for Indian Hills, which has had a player selected every year since 2015.
The first of the three is Taj Au-Duke. Au-Duke was a First Team All-American selection. He was a major reason Indian Hills finished with 30 wins and ranked in the top five in the NJCAA men's basketball rankings. The 6-foot-3 guard ended the year averaging 12.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. He totaled 167 assists—ranking first in the conference by a margin of 64. His 12.8 points per game also ranked first in the conference. His best game of the year came against Highland on Jan. 22, when Au-Duke finished with 26 points and shot 13-of-14 from the free-throw line.
Joining him is teammate KJ LaMonte. LaMonte was a Second Team All-American selection. The sophomore guard helped Au-Duke anchor the backcourt for the Warriors. He averaged 11.7 points per game on 50.7% shooting while playing stellar defense, recording 46 steals—the most in the conference. His best game came against Cloud County, where he scored 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting (77.8%) while adding four steals and a block. Even at 6-foot-3, LaMonte excelled at getting to the free-throw line. He attempted a conference-high 159 free throws and led the ICCAC with an 84.9% free-throw percentage.
Completing the trifecta is guard Mason Costello. Costello was a Third Team All-American selection. He served as the perfect complement to fellow guards Lamonte and Au-Duke. While the other two excelled at getting downhill, Costello was sharp on the perimeter. He averaged 9.8 points per game while shooting 34.2% from beyond the arc. That 3-point ability was on full display against Lake Region State on Dec. 5, when Costello drilled nine 3-pointers—a career high—en route to a 27-point performance in an Indian Hills victory.
Three schools saw ICCAC players honored as Division II All-Americans this year: Iowa Central, DMACC and Western Iowa Tech.
After nearly eight years without an All-American selection, Iowa Central had two honorees—Jordan Cain and Aleix Sempere. Cain was selected as a First Team All-American, while Sempere earned Third Team honors. The duo was rock-solid for the Tritons, accounting for nearly a third of the team's total points. Cain, despite his guard frame, was exceptional at getting to the rim. He recorded the 33rd-most free throws made in Division II with 135—one of the highest totals among guards in the NJCAA. His signature game came against a top-ranked Ellsworth team, where he scored 33 points on 52.2% shooting and recorded a double-double. His rebounding was another impressive aspect of his game, as he averaged 5.5 rebounds per game and tallied multiple double-doubles.
Sempere was another imposing presence for the Tritons. Listed at 6-foot-8, he averaged 14.8 points per game on 63.2% shooting and grabbed 10.1 rebounds per game. His 15 double-doubles were a major reason the Tritons advanced to the Final Four in the NJCAA Division II men's basketball tournament. His best game came against NIACC on Jan. 14, when he scored 29 points on 11-of-18 shooting (61.1%) while grabbing 14 rebounds.
The Triton duo are the first All-American selections for Iowa Central since 2018 and just the seventh and eighth in program history.
DMACC's All-American honoree was Kaden Tate, who was selected as a Second Team All-American. Much like Sempere, Tate dominated the glass, averaging 10.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game while totaling 80 blocks. He was a brick wall at the rim for opposing teams. In a game against Western Iowa Tech, Tate recorded six blocks. Down the stretch, he posted seven consecutive games with 10 or more rebounds—his longest double-digit rebounding streak of the season. Tate became the 15th All-American selection in DMACC program history.
NJCAA Division I All-Americans