02 Jun 2024 National Park College’s Dillon Hargrove named NJCAA basketball coach of the year

National Park College (NPC) Nighthawk men’s basketball Head Coach Dillon Hargrove was named the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year in May. NPC is in Hot Springs in Garland County.

In his fourth year as head coach at NPC, Hargrove’s Nighthawks impressed with 27 consecutive wins to begin the season, spending seven weeks ranked No. 1 in the nation while capturing back-to-back Region II regular season championships.

Following the team’s lone loss in the Region II Championship, NPC received an at-large bid to its first national tournament as the No. 5 seed, where the Nighthawks soared to the program’s first Division 2 Men’s Basketball National Championship.

Hargrove’s list of accomplishments this season continues to grow. In addition to being named NJCAA Region II Coach of the Year, Hargrove was named the 2023-24 NJCAA Division 2 Men’s Basketball Championship Coach of the Tournament and the 2023-24 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Two-Year College Coach of the Year.

“This moment for Coach Hargrove and Nighthawk Nation has been years in the making,” NPC Athletic Director Rich Thompson said. “Dillon has been an exceptional leader for our program and we are pleased to call him our head coach. His leadership shines on and off the court, and we congratulate him on both his national championship and this award.”

National Park College was established in 1973 and is located in Hot Springs. The college serves approximately 7,000 credit and non-credit students per year. NPC is a comprehensive two-year institution offering associate degrees and certificates as well as continuing education, community services and workforce training.