INDEPENDENCE, Kan. - A trio of Pirates are set to continue their academic and basketball careers as Sterling Knox, David Wilson and Trashaun Combs-Pierce have all committed to Division I programs after a great 2025-2026 season. 

Knox, a Las Vegas, Nevada product, will return to the Division I ranks as he has committed to Loyola Chicago after a season that saw him lead the Jayhawk Conference in Assists per game and landed him on the KJCCC All-Conference team. 

The 6'7 Point Guard was a force for the Pirates all season long averaging 15.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game. Knox had seven 20+ point games, including a season high 34 points against Fort Hays Tech Northwest before missing the final stretch of the season with a knee injury. 

Knox will join the Ramblers as he continues to rehab from his knee injury for the 2026-2027 season, his second stint in the NCAA as he spent his freshman season at Creighton University before joining the Pirates. 

The Ramblers compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference and are coming off a 9-24 season, with one of those wins coming against NCAA Tournament participant Santa Clara. 

Wilson, the 6'7 wing from Oklahoma City, capped off his stellar two year career at ICC by committing to SIU-Edwardville. Wilson's sophomore campaign was amongst the best in the nation as he finished third in the league in scoring at 18.6 points per game, and also being named to the KJCCC All-Conference team. As a freshman, Wilson appeared in 28 games, averaging 7.5 points per game.

SIU-Edwardsville competes in the Ohio Valley Conference, and just capped off a successful 19-13 season, including a win over eventual conference champion Tennessee State. 

The second of two year players here at ICC, Trashaun Combs-Pierce will continue his basketball career at Louisiana Tech in Ruston, Louisiana. The 6'8 Forward, similar to Knox, had his sophomore season cut short to a knee injury, but appeared and started in 11 games over the season, averaging 11.2 points and five rebounds a game. Combs-Pierce also imposed his will on the defensive end, averaging two blocks and a steal across the 11 games. The Norman, Oklahoma native got his stellar career off the ground in his freshman season, as he started 28 games for the Pirates, averaging 11.6 points per game, leading the Pirates back to the playoffs. 

Louisiana Tech competes in the Conference USA and is coming off a 20-14 season, where they were a dominant 14-3 at home. The Bulldogs lost in the semi-finals of the Conference USA Tournament. 

Although these three only shared the court a handful of times together this season due to injury, all three were key pieces in getting the Pirates back to the playoffs, and had the Pirates atop the KJCCC standings throughout much of the first half of the season.