Iron Mountain junior Oskar Kangas (0) slams a two-handed dunk home on Nov. 30 against Negaunee in Mountaineer Gym. Kangas was named to the Division 3 All-State First Team on Tuesday. (Terry Raiche photo)

IRON MOUNTAIN — After leading the Iron Mountain boys varsity basketball team to a 22-2 record during its 2023-24 campaign, Mountaineers’ junior Oskar Kangas was named to the Division 3 All-State First Team by The Associated Press on Tuesday.

“It means a lot,” Kangas said. “We’ve got a coaching staff that, we’ve got a lot of similar dreams and we have a community that backs us up. Our goal has been, since day one, that we want to put Iron Mountain, this small town in the U.P., on the map.”

The 6-foot-6 forward finished the season averaging 20 points per game, 10.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.5 steals and 2 blocks per game while shooting 57.1% from the floor and 75.7% at the free throw line.

This is Kangas’ second All-State nod as he was a Division 3 First Team selection in 2023.

“It feels great,” Kangas said. “I’m happy to see the work I put in, the time I spent in the gym, lifting weights, trying to get better and improve my game. It’s nice to see some of that pay off.”

The Associated Press isn’t the only one taking notice of Kangas’ work ethic.

“First of all, Oskar, individually, puts in the work,” IM head coach Harvey “Bucky” Johnson said.

“He dedicates himself to the game of basketball and he has for a long time. He’s been around some good teammates and he’s competed at a high-level consistently for all three years he’s been on the varsity. … I know that’s helped him.

“He’s expanded his game. He’s getting better at scoring at all three levels. He’s always been a consistent post player and he’s improving his 3-point shooting. His mid range game and his free throw shooting have all improved from last year. It’s a tribute to him because he lives the game of basketball.”

His passion for the game has translated into success for the Mountaineers, according to coach Johnson.

“We’ve had tremendous success since Oskar has been on the team,” Johnson said. “I think we’re 59-10 since he’s been on the varsity.

“We lost six games his freshman year.”

It is also evident when he is on the floor.

For Johnson, his success is even more impressive when you think about how teams scout him.

“He rarely comes out of the game, until it’s decided, one way or the other,” Johnson said. “He logs a lot of minutes and he’s played in a lot of tight ball games. It’s a credit to him because he’s on the top of everybody’s scouting report.

“Everybody’s trying to figure out how to stop him. … Oskar is pretty unselfish. He doesn’t usually take a lot of bad shots. Sometimes, the coaching staff is like, ‘Oskar, go make a play.'”

Even though Kangas is at the top of everyone’s scouting report, he is the first to tell you how important his teammates have been in his success.

“A lot of the guys that we’re playing with, a few of them started this year, we’ve been playing together since third grade,” Kangas said. “Gerald (Sampoll-Torres) moved to Iron Mountain in seventh grade. My brother, Reece Kangas, I’ve been playing with my whole life pretty much. Even some of the guys that already have graduated, that were seniors my freshman and sophomore year, they all played a role in everything. Whether it’s a team accomplishment or an individual accomplishment, I feel like Mr. (Johnson) and I do a good job of telling them that. Because sometimes, they can get overlooked and I never want that to happen. They play just as much of a role in everything as I do.”

Adding more hardware to his collection helps turn the season into a positive. However, it doesn’t change that they fell short of their goal – a Division 3 State Championship.

“It kind of helps, but at the same time, knowing that last season was the last season I’ll ever play with my brother and Matthew Colavecchi, I’ve been playing with him since I was in third grade too. That will always leave a bad feeling, knowing that we couldn’t make it far with them.

“But I feel like turning the page, this just fires me up more to try and make a deep run. I think now we’re at the point where it’s Breslin or bust with this group.”

According to Johnson, Kangas has already been putting in the work to make that a reality.

“He’s already been in the gym working out, getting prepared for next year and the AAU season coming up,” Johnson said.