Lester signs with DMACC

(Above) Zach Lester, son of Stacey Lester and Jeff Lester, was joined by (L-R) Clear Lake Head Basketball Coach Jeremey Ainley, his uncle, Mike Lester, and mother, as he signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball for Des Moines Area Community College in Boone next year.-Reporter photo by Chris Barragy

Clear Lake senior Zach Lester  signed a national letter of intent on Wednesday to play basketball at Des Moines Area Community College in Boone.  The signing ended speculation about where Lester would share his talents in several sports.  He considered opportunities in both basketball and football, included being offered walk-on spots on the University of Iowa and Iowa State football teams, but decided playing basketball at DMACC was the best option.

“I visited and instantly loved the small campus atmosphere,” said Lester.  “I wanted to play outside of the North Iowa area and DMACC has a consistent program which sends players to Division I and II schools.  My goal is to be a Division I player.”

Lester said he was conflicted about what choice of school to make, and only made his decision within the past week and one-half.

Lester  had an outstanding senior season, setting multiple school records. He was also a unanimous First Team All-North Central Conference player.

During the 2017-18 season Lester averaged 30.2 points per game, ranking him third among all high school players, all classes. He also finished sixth in the state with 92 steals this season.

He finished with school records for points in a season (665) and career school record for points (1,354).  His other records included field goals made in a season (246) and career (472).  He broke the school’s season record for free throws with 138 made and set a school record with 337 made free throws in his career.  His 114 assisted this season was the 10th most in school history;  he was already listed fourth on the list from two years earlier.  He set a school record for assists in a career (363), and broke his own school record of 79 steals with 92 this season.  He set a school record for steals in a career with 237 and finished ninth all-time with 29 blocks in his high school career.