April 23, 2008

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- John Pena may be small, but he was mighty at the NJCAA Men's Basketball All-Star Game.

Pena, a 5-foot-11 guard out of Mesa Community College who will transfer and join coach Tad Boyle's Northern Colorado men's basketball team next season, scored a game-high 26 points and grabbed seven rebounds Saturday, April 19, in leading the Arizona All-Stars to a 101-97 upset victory against the NJCAA Division I All-Stars.

Pena (Phoenix, Ariz.) hit six of 11 shots from three-point range in the contest and was honored as the player of the game.

"Pena really shoots it," Boyle said. "He has a great feel for the game. The intangibles he brings are very good."

The NJCAA Division I All-Stars featured several top Division I recruits, including Southwestern Illinois' Devron Bostick, this year's junior-college player of the year, and Hutchinson Community College's Bobby Maze. Bostick will play next year for Tubby Smith at the University of Minnesota, and Maze is set to join Gary Williams at Maryland.

Pena joins Elliott Lloyd (Houston, Texas) and Michael Proctor (Phoenix, Ariz.) as players who have already signed National Letters of Intent to play next year with the Bears.