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Mar. 22—DANVILLE — One by one, Parkland College men's basketball coach John Bowler was making his way through the crowd of reporters.
He was the man of the hour following his team's 76-68 win over Ellsworth Community College in Saturday's NJCAA Division II national championship at Danville Area Community College's Mary Miller Gym. For more than just endless interviews, too.
"Just being able to enjoy it has been a great thing for our team and our program," Bowler said before getting interrupted to take care of something a little more important. "I think I'm actually going to have to cut down the net here in a second."
He tried to let everyone else have their moment first, telling his players and coaches to "just save me the last one," but it was time for the national championship-winning coach to climb the ladder and claim his prize. A special moment for Bowler, who coached the Cobras to a national runner-up finish this time last year.
Bowler had the biggest smile on his face as he tossed the net into the crowd, and when he was finally able to continue answering questions 10 minutes later, all of his teeth were still showing.
"It's a weight off your shoulders that you've completed the journey," Bowler said. "We talked about that full-circle moment where we came up short last year and got this opportunity again this year and were able to close. It's hard to express fully. Maybe I'm not smart enough to do it in the English language. It's emotional and an unbelievable thing. To put on your life resume that you're a national champion, no matter what you're doing, where you're the best in the world at that time and at that level is really special."
Parkland sophomore guard Jaiden Martin remembers last year's national championship game, losing 55-54 to Kirkwood Community College. He even got emotional when Parkland played at DACC in the regular season on Feb. 11, the memories of losing the title on that same court coming back to him.
"That was probably the worst feeling ever," Martin said. "Coming back and winning feels great. It's a full-circle moment. As soon as that buzzer sounded, I was at a loss for words, like 'I'm a national champion now.'"
Martin led the Cobras on the offensive end of the floor all season long, and the national tournament was no exception. In fact, he elevated his game even higher on the biggest stage, scoring an even 100 points over four games this week. He racked up 34 points and eight rebounds on Saturday to earn himself tournament MVP honors.
"He's a bad man," Bowler said of Martin. "He put us on his back the whole tournament run. In my opinion, he's one of the best junior college guards in the country. He's unguardable in a lot of ways. When we played here in the regular season, he was so emotional in the gym because he played so poorly in the national championship. He remembered that moment, and he wanted to deliver on what he didn't do last year. He definitely did."
In the closing stages of Saturday's championship, Martin had the ball in his hands, and he consistently delivered. He scored seven straight Parkland points to reclaim the lead with just under four minutes to play, and he added six more points in the game's final 60 seconds.
"I just had to make a play and get us the lead somehow," Martin said. "I was going to find a way. Just space out, and let me work."
Freshman Chris Bush and redshirt sophomore Grant Chamberlain joined Martin on the All-Tournament Team for Parkland. Bush scored 12 points on Saturday, and Chamberlain tallied 11 points and eight rebounds.
"We go at it every day in practice, and it's amazing to see him get into his mode," Parkland freshman Chris Bush said of Martin's late-game takeover. "We know he's one of the greatest players to ever play at Parkland. We trust him to make those shots, and we live and die with whatever he does."
Bush, a 2025 Champaign Central graduate, has the potential to be the next great player for the Cobras. He cracked the starting lineup just a handful of games into the season and became one of the team's go-to scorers down the stretch. He's now started his college career at the very top, but he's still determined to come back even better next year.
"We knew we were better than all of these teams, so we just came out and proved it. We earned it," Bush said. "It just gives me great motivation knowing that we can get here and knowing what it takes to get here. It's going to make me work 10 times harder to be a better leader and a better player to get back here and win it all again."
That kind of dedication showed for all of Parkland's team throughout its entire national tournament run. The Cobras were the 11 seed and beat a higher-seeded team in every game this week. Having dealt with injuries all season, the Cobras also only had eight players available, making their title even more impressive.
"Our eight were the right eight," Bowler said. "It's a culture-driven thing for us. We try to celebrate the little things. Being a runner-up last year and just being able to go to the tournament is special enough, especially at a level like this where there's only 20 teams that go. To just say you've gone is special. I've been preaching to our guys the last few weeks that you don't know if you're ever going to get this chance again, so when you have these opportunities, take advantage of them."
Parkland won the first-ever NJCAA DII National Tournament back in 1986 and finished second in 1988 and 2025. The Cobras made their 11th tournament appearance this year, including three straight and four of the last five, and finally finished the job for the first time in nearly four decades.
"We have a great culture, which is a winning one," Martin said. "That's all you need to know about Parkland. If you like to win, just come here."
Continue reading...
He was the man of the hour following his team's 76-68 win over Ellsworth Community College in Saturday's NJCAA Division II national championship at Danville Area Community College's Mary Miller Gym. For more than just endless interviews, too.
"Just being able to enjoy it has been a great thing for our team and our program," Bowler said before getting interrupted to take care of something a little more important. "I think I'm actually going to have to cut down the net here in a second."
He tried to let everyone else have their moment first, telling his players and coaches to "just save me the last one," but it was time for the national championship-winning coach to climb the ladder and claim his prize. A special moment for Bowler, who coached the Cobras to a national runner-up finish this time last year.
Bowler had the biggest smile on his face as he tossed the net into the crowd, and when he was finally able to continue answering questions 10 minutes later, all of his teeth were still showing.
"It's a weight off your shoulders that you've completed the journey," Bowler said. "We talked about that full-circle moment where we came up short last year and got this opportunity again this year and were able to close. It's hard to express fully. Maybe I'm not smart enough to do it in the English language. It's emotional and an unbelievable thing. To put on your life resume that you're a national champion, no matter what you're doing, where you're the best in the world at that time and at that level is really special."
Parkland sophomore guard Jaiden Martin remembers last year's national championship game, losing 55-54 to Kirkwood Community College. He even got emotional when Parkland played at DACC in the regular season on Feb. 11, the memories of losing the title on that same court coming back to him.
"That was probably the worst feeling ever," Martin said. "Coming back and winning feels great. It's a full-circle moment. As soon as that buzzer sounded, I was at a loss for words, like 'I'm a national champion now.'"
Martin led the Cobras on the offensive end of the floor all season long, and the national tournament was no exception. In fact, he elevated his game even higher on the biggest stage, scoring an even 100 points over four games this week. He racked up 34 points and eight rebounds on Saturday to earn himself tournament MVP honors.
"He's a bad man," Bowler said of Martin. "He put us on his back the whole tournament run. In my opinion, he's one of the best junior college guards in the country. He's unguardable in a lot of ways. When we played here in the regular season, he was so emotional in the gym because he played so poorly in the national championship. He remembered that moment, and he wanted to deliver on what he didn't do last year. He definitely did."
In the closing stages of Saturday's championship, Martin had the ball in his hands, and he consistently delivered. He scored seven straight Parkland points to reclaim the lead with just under four minutes to play, and he added six more points in the game's final 60 seconds.
"I just had to make a play and get us the lead somehow," Martin said. "I was going to find a way. Just space out, and let me work."
Freshman Chris Bush and redshirt sophomore Grant Chamberlain joined Martin on the All-Tournament Team for Parkland. Bush scored 12 points on Saturday, and Chamberlain tallied 11 points and eight rebounds.
"We go at it every day in practice, and it's amazing to see him get into his mode," Parkland freshman Chris Bush said of Martin's late-game takeover. "We know he's one of the greatest players to ever play at Parkland. We trust him to make those shots, and we live and die with whatever he does."
Bush, a 2025 Champaign Central graduate, has the potential to be the next great player for the Cobras. He cracked the starting lineup just a handful of games into the season and became one of the team's go-to scorers down the stretch. He's now started his college career at the very top, but he's still determined to come back even better next year.
"We knew we were better than all of these teams, so we just came out and proved it. We earned it," Bush said. "It just gives me great motivation knowing that we can get here and knowing what it takes to get here. It's going to make me work 10 times harder to be a better leader and a better player to get back here and win it all again."
That kind of dedication showed for all of Parkland's team throughout its entire national tournament run. The Cobras were the 11 seed and beat a higher-seeded team in every game this week. Having dealt with injuries all season, the Cobras also only had eight players available, making their title even more impressive.
"Our eight were the right eight," Bowler said. "It's a culture-driven thing for us. We try to celebrate the little things. Being a runner-up last year and just being able to go to the tournament is special enough, especially at a level like this where there's only 20 teams that go. To just say you've gone is special. I've been preaching to our guys the last few weeks that you don't know if you're ever going to get this chance again, so when you have these opportunities, take advantage of them."
Parkland won the first-ever NJCAA DII National Tournament back in 1986 and finished second in 1988 and 2025. The Cobras made their 11th tournament appearance this year, including three straight and four of the last five, and finally finished the job for the first time in nearly four decades.
"We have a great culture, which is a winning one," Martin said. "That's all you need to know about Parkland. If you like to win, just come here."
Continue reading...
