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APSU Basketball’s Terry Taylor to return for final season

APSU Men's BasketballClarksville, TN – Rising Austin Peay State University (APSU) men’s basketball senior forward Terry Taylor has withdrawn his name from consideration for the 2020 NBA Draft and will return to Clarksville for the 2020-21 season.

This declaration came after more than a month in the evaluation process, which allows early entrants to receive feedback from league personnel while retaining eligibility.

Austin Peay State University Men's Basketball junior forward Terry Taylor. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay State University Men’s Basketball junior forward Terry Taylor. (APSU Sports Information)

Taylor was simply incredible as a junior, earning Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year honors.

He averaged 21.8 points and 11.0 rebounds—the first Gov to average 20 and 10 since Otis Howard in 1977-78—while hitting 55.0 percent from the floor and averaging 1.3 blocks and 1.3 steals per game.

He’s the only player in the OVC to average more than a block and a steal per game—he recorded multiple blocks, steals or both in 22 of 33 games—and earned a league-record tying eight OVC Player of the Week honors.

Nationally, Taylor finished among the Top 10 in total field goals (285, fourth), total minutes (1209:55, seventh), total rebounds (362, seventh), double-doubles (18, seventh), total points (718, eighth), offensive rebounds per game (4.00, eighth) and rebounds per game (11.0, tenth).

Terry Taylor is one of four players in Division I currently averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. He’s the only player in the nation leading his league in both scoring and rebounding and the only player among the nation’s Top 15 in scoring. This year, he became the only player in school history to start his career with three-straight 500-point seasons.

He’s one of four active Division I players with 1,900 career points and 900 career rebounds, a trajectory that would make him just the fifth OVC player with 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds early in his senior season. Among active Division I juniors, Taylor leads the way in total rebounds, rebounds per game, total field goals and double-doubles—all categories he also leads active OVC players in.

In addition to his spot on the Lou Henson All-American team, Taylor was the first player in program history to earn United States Basketball Writers Association All-District honors and on Monday picked up his third straight National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District nod. He also earned All-Tournament honors at the OVC Basketball Championships, in addition to his third straight All-OVC first-team honor.

Terry Taylor and teammate Jordyn Adams both were evaluated by the NBA before deciding to return to Clarksville.

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