SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Wittenberg University's Ryan Taylor has been named a 2001 second-team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. It is the first such national recognition for Taylor, who led the Tigers to the North Coast Athletic Conference regular season championship and to the sectional semifinals of the NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament earlier this month.
Taylor, a 6-foot-5 senior forward from Waynesfield, Ohio, led the Tigers in scoring for a third consecutive season at 16.1 points per game. Also the NCAC Player of the Year for 2000-01, Taylor ranks ninth on Wittenberg's all-time scoring list and 15th on the NCAC's scoring list with 1,426 career points. Taylor ranked fourth in the NCAA Division III individual statistical rankings in three-point field goal percentage (.493) and had 75 three-point field goals, good for second on the Wittenberg single season list.
Taylor earlier had been named to the Great Lakes All-District first-team, the 22nd Wittenberg player in history to earn all-district honors and the first since Jamel King in 1997. Coaches in each of the nation's eight regions vote for 10 players for the all-district teams in order of merit. The top vote-getter in each region is an automatic first-team All-American and the second-leading vote-getter is an automatic second-team selection.
Kris Oberdick of Ohio Northern University received the most votes in the Great Lakes District. Joining him as first-team All-America team are Devon Downing of Alfred, Dave Jannuzzi of Wilkes, Antoine Sinclair of Christopher Newport, Chris Coates of Keene Steve, Ryan Knupple of Elmhurst, Vince Thomas of Wisconsin-Superior and Horace Jenkins of William Paterson.
Taylor received the second highest vote total in the Great Lakes District. He is joined on the second-team All-America by Tom Williams of Cortland, Steve Horst of Lebanon Valley, Kyle Williford of Bridgewater, Ed Bourgogne of Salem State, Derek Reich of Chicago, Justin Muth of California Lutheran and B.J. Johnson of Rowan.