Highlands grad Cameron Reigard finds new home, path to college basketball success in northern Iowa

Cameron Reigard’s journey in college basketball began a little later than most, and it has taken him from Natrona Heights halfway across the country to a little town in Iowa. But for the chance to fulfill his dream of playing at the college level, the time and distance have been worth it.

The Highlands grad is among the regulars in the lineup at Northern Iowa Area Community College, a junior college in Mason City, Iowa. Mason City is located about 20 miles south of Minnesota’s southern border and two hours north of the capital city of Des Moines.

Reigard, a 6-foot-1 freshman guard, started nine of the Trojans’ first 10 games, averaging 8.8 points and 3.6 rebounds and shooting 38.5% from 3-point range and 87% from the free-throw line. He recorded a season-best 22 points against Mount Mercy’s junior varsity. (Mount Mercy is an NAIA school that carries scholarship players.)

“It’s definitely different. Fast-paced. The next level is no joke, for sure,” Reigard said. “But it has been an adjustment for me. I remember when I was a freshman in high school, going from middle school to high school, that kind of adjustment.”

Reigard’s path to Mason City, curiously, began at Churchill Downs. Last summer, Reigard’s older sister, Amber, was living in the Louisville area and working at the famed home of the Kentucky Derby. Among her acquaintances in Louisville was Al Davis, a NIACC alumnus and assistant coach for the Division I Bellarmine men’s team.

It was mid-summer, and Cameron still was trying to sort out his college future, so Amber had a chat with Davis about getting her brother a tryout. Davis agreed, so Reigard took a day trip to Louisville for an informal workout.

There was no spot for Reigard on the Knights’ roster, but Davis reached out to some junior college coaches he knew. A little over a week later, Reigard got a call from Jeremy Winters at NIACC.

“When I watched his highlight stuff, his ability to shoot it really stood out,” said Winters, in his third season at the helm of the Trojans. Winters has been on the NIACC staff in some capacity for more than a decade. “When he first got here for open gym, you could see it right away. … He wanted to play as hard as he could to make the guys match his energy level.”

Moving from the Pittsburgh suburbs to the hinterlands of Iowa, Reigard said, was a big adjustment. He admitted there isn’t a lot to do in Mason City. A big night out often consists of joining teammates for a trip to Pancheros, a Mexican restaurant Reigard likened to Chipotle that started in Iowa City three decades ago.

Reigard has been able to do some traveling throughout the Midwest to break up the monotony. But most of his focus is on basketball and improving his game so he can move on to a four-year school.

Coaching at a junior college, where players can stay for a maximum of two years, Winters is aware that yearly roster upheaval comes with the territory. At the same time, he is eager to get his players into four-year programs.

“If (Reigard) has some offers after this year that he wants to entertain and take them, I’m not going to make him stay,” Winters said. “But after the second year, we’ll help him find a place to go.”

Of course, everyone on the Trojans’ roster is vying for the same goal of moving to a bigger program. That, it would seem, could lead to players trying to pad their own stats for the sake of being noticed. But Reigard said he and his teammates understand success as a group will pay dividends for all of them.

“To get to that point, it would be to play as a team,” Reigard said when asked about the goal of getting to a four-year program. “Coaches are not looking for who can score the ball, who can get it for themselves. They’re looking for who can play the game the right way. … Play as a team and win games, and the rest will come.

“I think that’s just how you should play basketball. That’s the best way to play basketball. It’s the purest way to play basketball. And in the long run, it will help everybody out.”

Winning games has been the norm for NIACC in the early going. The Trojans won eight of their first 10, including their first Iowa Community College Athletic Conference game at Ellsworth Community College.

Ellsworth, at the time, was ranked No. 9 in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II poll. Reigard contributed four points, a steal and an assist.

Winters said he has been pleased with what Reigard has been able to contribute.

“I knew there would be a chance he could step in right away. I didn’t know at what aspect,” Winters said. “When I recruit, I don’t guarantee them anything. Just opportunity.

“I honestly think it’s how hard he plays at all times. He’s a leader. He brings a lot of energy. … He’s a team guy also. All the guys respect him, and he gets along with everybody.”

Reigard said the team has created great chemistry — probably over some burritos at Pancheros — and that will lead to a successful season.

As for the next step on his own basketball odyssey, Reigard is being patient. Right now, he wants to bring a championship to Mason City.

“It’s definitely in the back of my mind, where my life would take me after this,” he said. “But as of right now, I live day-to-day. We’ve got games coming up, and I’m focused on the task at hand.”