DANVILLE, Ill. — Central Decatur product Peyton Pedersen knew he was stepping into something special when he joined the Southwestern Community College men’s basketball team this fall.
The former Cardinals standout was able to experience an incredible journey contributing on the scout team during his redshirt season.
Along the way, he was able to be a part of the ride sitting on the bench this past week during the NJCAA Division II national tournament in Danville, Illinois.
When the final buzzer went off and the Spartans claimed the school’s first-ever national championship in any sport with a 77-53 win over Louisburg College, North Carolina, Pedersen was right there celebrating with his teammates.
He was able to cut down part of the net, later that night he wore it around his neck proudly.
It added up to a magical redshirt season for Pedersen.
“It’s pretty crazy,” Pedersen said after Saturday’s thrilling win. “This experience is one in a million.”
“To be part of it is pretty awesome.”
Bringing the title back to southwest Iowa meant much for Pedersen.
“No doubt, it’s pretty crazy,” Pedersen said. “We’re not too far from here. It’s huge to bring a national championship home.”
This season was an eye-opener for the all-stater at Central Decatur.
“I learned a lot,” he said.
The speed of the game at the college level was one area he gained a wealth of knowledge from.
“The game is more fast paced than it was in high school,” Pedersen said.
He was pushed by the top two units each day in practice.
“Going against them every day made me better,” Pedersen said. “I always gave it my all going against them.”
Watching standouts such as NJCAA Division II all-tournament Most Valuable Player Brodric Thomas, all-tournament players Jordan Johnson and Lavon Hightower, and the rest of Southwestern’s deep and talented lineup was an experience he won’t forget.
“It’s a testament to all these guys. They really paved the path for us,” Pedersen said. “They’re very elite players.”
He won’t forget what he learned this season from the sophomores.
“Those sophomores are going to be greatly missed,” Pedersen said. “They did a great job.”
He saw what it takes for a team to compete and win at a championship level.
“To win, you need to be as a family,” Pedersen said. “We all came together and became a family. It really showed on the court. Everyone was very unselfish. It led to a great outcome.”
Southwestern coach Todd Lorensen played a role in helping Pedersen improve, like playing football for his father Jon.
“Coach (Lorensen) is a really good guy. He pushes me to do my best like my dad did,” Pedersen said.
Pedersen and the other redshirts had an opportunity to be part of the journey on the bench.
Pedersen took advantage of it.
“We gave all of our redshirts the opportunity to join us if they wanted too,” Lorensen said. “For Peyton, it was a great opportunity to see what he was a part of, that he had an impact on it.”
Watching this championship run can be a driving factor for the 6-foot-3 guard going forward.
“Selfishly as a player when you see that, you want to be a part of it, not as a redshirt, but as one of the guys on the court, and making shots and helping win games,” Lorensen said.
What Pedersen saw from his teammates on the court motivates him going into next season.
“These sophomores, I’ve been learning a lot,” Pedersen said. “The game is more fast-paced in high school. Going against them every day got me better.”
Lorensen, who played as a prep at Prairie City-Monroe, knows what Pedersen is going through in the transition from high school to college.
“I’m from a small town in Iowa. I’ve always been sensitive of the idea, well you’re from a small town, so you can’t compete at this level or that level,” Lorensen said. “I don’t think that’s true whatsoever, but there’s a greater adjustment period for guys that come from smaller communities.”
Pedersen learned how to compete hard every day against Southwestern’s strong lineup.
“Lets be honest, at Central Decatur, if Peyton were to turn it on on Tuesday afternoon, or a Thursday afternoon, he was the best player in the gym and it wasn’t even close,” Lorensen said. ‘When he came here, and that was no longer the case, it went to be a process where he had to really bring it every single day not just to thrive.”
Pedersen stepped up to that challenge.
“He’s really answered the call very well. He’s part of our scrap group that was a big part of what we did this year,” Lorensen said.
Pedersen’s character allowed him to mesh well with a diverse group of players that came from eight states, and much larger communities than Leon.
“All of the guys like him,” Lorensen said. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize people are attracted to good people. Peyton’s one of those guys even though he comes from a small town, the guys that we have from Memphis, the guys we have from North Carolina, the guys we have from Des Moines, they’ve hit it off from day one and become good friends.”
“Peyton’s a tremendous young man.”
A big summer of growth awaits Pedersen.
“I need to put up a bunch of shots, work on my conditioning and defense,” Pedersen said.
Lorensen knows Pedersen will work hard.
“He’ll put in a lot of time in the offseason, become a better player,” Lorensen said. “He realized that. I’m looking forward to him having a big offseason so he can help us win some basketball games next year.”