Men’s College Basketball: Raiders return 8 players with nationals on their mind

BRAINERD — With eight sophomores returning, the Central Lakes College Raiders hope to display a bit of everything on the basketball court.

The unusually large number of returners has Raiders head coach Jim Russell, entering his 27th season, excited about the early development and versatility for the postseason.

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“The biggest reason they wanted to come back is because they felt like they didn’t accomplish anything last year,” Russell said. “Even after winning 20 games, they felt like they were left out on a lot of stuff. They also got along really well. The biggest thing, though, is they’re all very good students.”

During last season’s Region 13 Tournament, CLC eliminated Anoka-Ramsey 97-89 in overtime before falling to Riverland 89-75 in the semifinals. CLC finished 20-11 overall.

The Raiders were 10-2 in the North Division.

Central Lakes College's DeWayne Givens heads to the basket during a scrimmage between CLC and Itasca on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Brainerd.

Central Lakes College’s DeWayne Givens heads to the basket during a scrimmage between CLC and Itasca on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Brainerd.

Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch

Russell mentioned the student-athlete aspect of his team and JaKobe Jones, Johnny Tong, Jaiquavious Ackey and Kyan Reichhoff were All-Minnesota College Athletic Conference Academic honorees. Reichhoff was an NJCAA All-Academic Second Team member and Tong and Ackey were Third Team members.

“That transfers so well to the basketball court,” Russell said. “No. 1, if they can learn in the classroom, they can learn on the court as well. That’s a big thing for us so we can continue to move forward instead of going backwards. In a sense, we’ll probably have more stuff than I’ve ever coached before. We might have more than two plays.”

Ackey made a name for himself last season on the court, too. The 6-foot-4, forward from Carrollton, Georgia, was second on the Raiders with 14.9 points per game. He shot 64.1% from the field with 8.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.6 steals a game.

He earned All-MCAC and All-Northern Division honors last year.

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Central Lakes College's Jakobe Jones goes up for a shot during a scrimmage between CLC and Itasca on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Brainerd.

Central Lakes College’s Jakobe Jones goes up for a shot during a scrimmage between CLC and Itasca on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Brainerd.

Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch

“He had a great year and it wasn’t a surprise for us, but it might have surprised the league,” Russell said. “This year, a big part of his role will be his leadership. He continues to improve his skills, but I think his leadership will be the key for us.”

The guard duo of DeWayne Givens and Jakobe Jones will keep the pace of play moving. Givens averaged 6.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game last season. He was named to the All-Northern Division team. Jones contributed 6.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals a game.

“The depth of this team will be a strength,” Russell said. “If we can develop more depth then we can expand our game a little more. We’ll play a little more full-court than normal.

“Our point guard Jakobe is probably one of the quickest guards in the league. He’ll help push the ball up the court. DeWayne was all-conference for us and he’ll be on the court. We have some very good experienced ball handlers that will help us push the ball.”

Tong played in 24 games last season and averaged 2.8 points and 1.5 rebounds. Makieth Deng averaged 4.0 points and 2.0 rebounds. Reichhoff returns after averaging 3.2 points and 1.2 rebounds and Jayden Broadnax is back after averaging 2.0 points and 1.2 rebounds last year.

Central Lakes College's Jaiquavious Ackey dunks the ball during a scrimmage between CLC and Itasca on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Brainerd.

Central Lakes College’s Jaiquavious Ackey dunks the ball during a scrimmage between CLC and Itasca on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Brainerd.

Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch

The Raiders do roster nine sophomores. Ethan Painter, a 6-foot-6 forward from Omaha, Nebraska, transferred to the Raiders.

“We have pretty good athletic ability so our first option is to push the ball,” Russell said. “Our size is good, too. We’re probably going to be able to get inside more than your average junior college team. Those will be our two biggest strengths.

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“Kyan and Johnny both are experienced on the court. Both shoot the ball pretty well at the guard spots. Then we have some really good freshmen who have come in and will push us and help us at the end.”

Lake DeJongh is a 6-6 forward from Stillwater that Russell is excited about. He’s also pleased with 5-10 guard Noah Morris from Park Rapids.

“The biggest surprise for us so far is Noah,” Russell said. “He’s a kid who is a feisty little guy. The guys like playing with him because he gets after it. He’s got a big challenge in front of him, but every day he brings it.

“Lake was a heavily recruited player. He’s able to play in the post for us and can play outside on the perimeter as well.”

The end goal is a national tournament appearance. It’s why so many players returned.

“We would definitely like to get to the national tournament,” Russell said. “We’ll take one thing at a time. We’ll start by trying to win the conference and then the regional tournament and get to nationals. That’s why all of these guys came back. They felt like we were close. The key is these guys like playing with each other and being together. We’re going to be able to bond a lot quicker than in most years.

“The biggest thing will be our mental toughness. Everything is about toughness or how you handle adversity. Then of course, in the game, what do you do when we’re down 20 or down 10? Do we understand how to grind it out? Do we understand that there isn’t a play that’s worth 20 points? Those are the big things that it’s going to come down to. Can we trust each other and can we handle adversity when it comes? Last year, we didn’t know how to handle some situations. This year, I think that’s the big part.”

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JEREMY MILLSOP may be reached at 218-855-5856 or jeremy.millsop@brainerddispatch.com. Follow on Twitter at

www.twitter.com/jeremymillsop

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Raiders roster

Sophomores: DeWayne Givens (guard), Jakobe Jones (guard), Johnny Tong (guard), Jaiquavious Ackey (forward), Kyan Reichhoff (guard), Jayden Broadnax (forward), Makieth Deng (forward), Josh Rogers (forward), Ethan Painter (forward)

Freshmen: Noah Morris (guard), Jaylen Young (guard), Tyquan O’neal (guard), Wylee Dauenbaugh (guard), Deven Rowan (forward), Lake DeJongh (forward)

Raider men’s basketball

Jim Russell

Jim Russell

Jim R
Head coach: Jim Russell, 27th season

Career record: 519-213

Assistant coaches: George Washington II, Ben Aeilts, Nick Wiesmann

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2023-24 record: 10-2 Northern Division, 20-11 overall

Returning players: DeWayne Givens, Jakobe Jones, Johnny Tong, Jaiquavious Ackey, Kyan Reichhoff, Jayden Broadnax, Makieth Deng, Josh Rogers

Raiders schedule

Wednesday, Nov. 6: vs. St. Cloud Technical 7 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 8: at Rochester 7 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 9: vs. Riverland at Rochester TBA

Nov. 13: at Anoka-Ramsey 7 p.m.

Nov. 16: at Dakota County 3 p.m.

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Nov. 19: vs. Anoka-Ramsey 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 22: at Ridgewater 7 p.m.

Dec. 6: vs. Rochester 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 13: at Minnesota State 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 14: at St. Cloud Technical 3 p.m

Dec. 20: vs. Minnesota State 8 p.m.

Dec. 21: vs. Leech Lake Tribal 6 p.m.

Dec. 29: vs. Ridgewater 7 p.m.

Dec. 30: vs. Riverland 5 p.m.

Jan. 4: vs. Mesabi Range 3 p.m.

Jan. 8: at Hibbing 7 p.m.

Jan. 11: at Gogebic 3 p.m.

Jan. 15: vs. Vermilion 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 18: vs. Rainy River 3 p.m.

Jan. 22: vs. Itasca 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 25: at Northland 3 p.m.

Feb.1: at Mesabi Range 3 p.m.

Feb. 5: vs. Hibbing 7 p.m.

Feb. 8: vs. Gogebic 3 p.m.

Feb. 12: at Vermilion 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 15: at Rainy River 3 p.m.

Feb. 19: at Itasca 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 22: vs. Northland 3 p.m.

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