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Rio Grande's Delon McCloud was named to the NAIA Men's Basketball All-America Third Team on Monday.
Rio Grande's Delon McCloud was named to the NAIA Men's Basketball All-America Third Team on Monday.
Posted: Mar 30, 2026

Rio's McCloud named to All-America 3rd Team

Rio Grande/NAIA Sports Information
     KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Delon McCloud's only season in a University of Rio Grande men's basketball uniform won't be forgotten anytime soon.
     The Grand Rapids, Mich. senior didn't need any additional validation from fans of the RedStorm program, but he received some anyway on Monday with his selection to the 2025-26 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-American Third Team.
     The national office announced the All-America teams, the national Player of the Year and the national Coach of the Year on Monday.
     Twelve student-athletes were named to the first- and second-team All-American lists, while 17 were represented on the third team. Three institutions received more than one honor, with Northwestern (Iowa), LSU Shreveport (La.), and Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) each earning two All-American selections.
     McCloud, who was previously honored as the McCloud, who was honored by the league as both the 2026 Player and Newcomer of the Year in the River States Conference, was a catalyst for a RedStorm team which played its way onto the doorstep of an NAIA Tournament berth.
     McCloud averaged a team-high 21.4 points per game, shooting 41.4 percent from three-point territory, 49.0 percent from the field overall and 89.8 percent from the free throw line.
     He also averaged 4.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game for the RedStorm, who finished 17-13 after a loss to Indiana University Kokomo in the semifinal round of the RSC Tournament.
     McCloud was especially impressive down the stretch, scoring 20 or more points in 12 of Rio's last 13 games and twice tying the program record of 10 three-pointers in a game.
     He scored 30 points or more four times during his torrid stretch, including a career-best 41 points in a win over Kentucky Christian University.
     "Delo is the type of player that coaches dream about," said Ryan Arrowood, who spent the past six seasons as Rio Grande's head coach. "His work ethic, discipline and sacrifice - both on and off the court - was evident all year long. He was playing the best basketball of his career when it mattered most because he never took a shortcut or a day off. I'm very thankful to have had te opportunity to coach him and look forward to his success moving forward."
     Northwestern (Iowa) sophomore Jesse Van Kalsbeek was tabbed as the Player of the Year along with earning first-team All-American honors. The Sheldon, Iowa, native led the nation in points per game, averaging 27.8 over 34 games; he also led in defensive rebounds (363) and total rebounds (421) this season, while averaging 34.1 minutes per game.
     Van Kalsbeek also ranked in the top three nationally in boards per game (12.4) and points per 40 minutes (32.6). He raised the bar this season, setting five new career highs in points (34), assists (7), steals (4), blocks (2), and field goals made (15).
     In addition to Van Kalsbeek, the All-American First Team included Bradley Bunch from the University of Pikeville (Ky.); Tamaje Izuagbe of Oklahoma Wesleyan; Cole Bowen from Graceland (Iowa); Northwestern's Jalen Langsy; Caedmon Bontrager of Indiana Wesleyan; Grace's (Ind.) Ian Raasch; Micah Clark of Nelson (Texas); LSU Shreveport's Hayden Brittingham; Omari Nesbit from Rocky Mountain (Mont.); Hope International's (Calif.) Nick Hopkins; and Ese Onakpoma of Arizona Christian.
     Second Team honorees included Keiser's (Fla.) Camerin James; Devontre Chaney of Georgia Gwinnett; EJ McQuillan from LSU Alexandria; William Penn's (Iowa) Foday Sheriff; Isaiah Crane of Carroll (Mont.); Jackson Cooper from Oregon Tech; Indiana Tech's Jaxson Fugate; Kameron Johnson of Loyola (La.); Kenyata Carbon from Lindsey Wilson (Ky.); Cumberlands' (Ky.) Kyle Duke; Michael Klekas of Ave Maria (Fla.); and Orlando Thomas from Langston (Okla.).
     Two-time national champion head coach Drew Stutts of Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) was selected as the Coach of the Year.
     Stutts led the Lions through a perfect Mid-South Conference schedule, going undefeated at 12-0. This season marked the first time FHU has done so in conference action.
     Furthermore, Stutts and Co. finished the 2026 season at 35-1, rattling off 32 consecutive wins that began back on November 8. He led FHU to wins over one team ranked inside the top five and top 10 of the national poll, two top 25 wins, and two wins against teams receiving votes in the national polls this season.