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HomeSportsAustin Peay State University Basketball's Terry Taylor named to Lute Olson Award...

Austin Peay State University Basketball’s Terry Taylor named to Lute Olson Award Preseason Watchlist

APSU Men's BasketballBoston, MA – Austin Peay State University (APSU) senior men’s basketball standout Terry Taylor has been named to the Lute Olson Award Preseason Watch List by CollegeInsider.com.

The award is named in honor of Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson, who won 776 games in 34 seasons, 24 of which were spent at the University of Arizona.

Lute Olson Award Preseason Watchlist latest accolade for Austin Peay State University Men's Basketball senior Terry Taylor. (APSU Sports Information)

During that stretch, he led the Wildcats to 11 Pac-10 Conference titles, 23 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, four Final Four appearances and a National Championship in 1997.

Olson is one of just 25 head coaches in NCAA history to win 700 or more games (all divisions) and ranks ninth on the Division I career victories list.

He finished with a .731 winning percentage and is the all-time winningest coach in Arizona history with 587-190 record (.755). He was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year seven times while guiding Arizona to 20 consecutive 20-win seasons and is one of only three coaches in NCAA history to record 29 or more 20-win seasons.

A Bowling Green, Kentucky native, Taylor averaged 21.8 points and 11.0 rebounds—the first APSU 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 was the only player in the OVC last season 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 ranked 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).

Taylor was one of four players in Division I to average 20 points and 10 rebounds per game a year ago, and was the only player in the nation to lead his league in both scoring and rebounding. Last 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 seniors, 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.

Last season, Taylor was the first player in program history to earn United States Basketball Writers Association All-District honors and 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, and was a Lou Henson All-American.

 

 

After going through the pre-draft evaluation process before returning for his senior season, Taylor now has the chance to become the first two-time OVC Player of the Year since Isaiah Canaan (Murray State, 2012-13) and just the second Governor to earn two OVC Player of the Year honors, joining Howard (1977-78).

Already in 2020-21, Taylor has been named the OVC’s Preseason Player of the Year in both the official poll and media poll and was named to the Jerry West Award Preseason Watch List. Through the season’s first week, Taylor has earned OVC Player of the Week honors, CollegeSportsMadness.com Mid-Major Player of the Week honors and a spot on the All-Tournament team at last week’s #BeachBubble Gulf Coast Showcase.

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