OTTUMWA —
Pete Mickeal has been everywhere in the world. He’s met people from all walks of life.
But there is one place, and one people, he cherishes above all: Ottumwa.
So Mickeal was thrilled to come back to Ottumwa Friday, where the Rock Island native returned to Indian Hills campus to be honored as the first Warrior basketball player to be inducted into the IHCC Athletic Hall of Fame.
“These people are the best people in the world,” Mickeal said. “I’ve played everywhere in the world. I’ve played in every country and it’s great to come back to Ottumwa.”
Mickeal couldn’t join the other six initial inductees at the induction ceremonies in February because he was busy playing his third season for the Euroleague’s FC Barcelona in Spain.
The Indian Hills basketball legend was greeted with hugs and smiles when he and his family walked through the doors of Warrior Junction in the Advanced Technology Center on the Indian Hills campus late Friday afternoon.
During his illustrious career at Indian Hills, the Warriors captured two NJCAA championships and only lost one game. As a sophomore, Mickeal spearheaded the Warriors’ incredible 38-0 season in 1997-1998.
“When it was my team I took over and that’s when I really developed,” he said.
It wasn’t that he was incapable of being a leader his freshman year, it just wasn’t his team then, so he accepted his role as a solid post player.
“I had been a leader all my life, though” Mickeal said. “Even as a freshman I averaged 14 or 15 points a game.”
Still, Mickeal said he learned a lot from the talented players he shared the court with his freshman year.
“I had great players playing in front of me and they really helped me evolve my game,” he said.
The 6-foot-6 forward set his share of records during his stint with the Warriors including made field goals (327), free throws (299) and foul shot attempts (421). He also was named the NJCAA National Player of the Year and the Most Valuable Player in 1998.
Mickeal said one thing that fueled him to perform at his highest level each and every time he set foot on the court in a Warriors’ uniform was his desire to please the people who had made him feel so welcome since he first arrived on campus.
“Indian Hills for me was very, very special,” Mickeal said. “I just wanted to play for the campus, for the Indian Hills community, for Ottumwa, because the people were so great to me. I wanted to bring them enjoyment.”
Mickeal also had some kind words for his former IHCC coach Terry Carroll, who now coaches at Southeastern Community College.
“Terry Carroll for me was one of the best coaches I ever had,” he said. “I was fortunate to have Terry Carroll [as a coach] so everything worked out well; everything worked out perfect.”
Other than some familiar faces from Indian Hills and Ottumwa, Mickeal also was greeted by a surprise guest: His Rock Island High School Coach Duncan Reid.
“He’s an example of a young man who paid attention to what he was told do,” Reid said. “We made demands on him; he fulfilled those demands. He worked hard all the time to become better and it paid off for him.”
After Mickeal gave his acceptance speech, Reid shared a humorous story about how he needed to occasionally step in when the Warrior legend’s dedication to academics wasn’t up to snuff.
Mickeals’ career, however, didn’t end in Ottumwa. He went on to play for Cincinnati where he was a first-team all-conference choice in the two seasons he played for the Bearcats.
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Related Photos
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Pete Mickeal is honored as the first basketball player to be inducted into the Indian Hills Athletic Hall-of-Fame during a ceremony at “Warrior Junction” on the Indian Hills Community College campus in Ottumwa on Friday. Andy Heintz/The Courier
July 28, 2012
Pete Mickeal formally inducted into IHCC’s Athletic Hall of Fame
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