BOSTON, Mass. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Austin Peay State University men’s basketball junior Terry Taylor was named to the 2019-20 Lou Henson Award Preseason Watch List which was announced Tuesday, Nov. 5.
The Lou Henson Award is given out annually to the nation’s best Division I mid-major player. The award honors Henson, the former Illinois and New Mexico State coach who won 775 games in 41 seasons. Henson is the winningest coach in Illinois basketball history with 423 victories.
During his 21 seasons from 1975 to 1996, Henson led the Fighting Illini to 16 postseason appearances, including 12 NCAA tournaments and a Final Four appearance in 1989.
The Preseason Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year according to both the media at-large and the league’s coaches and athletic communications directors, Taylor is no stranger to a spot on the Lou Henson Watch List, as he was a midseason addition to the 2018-19 watch list.
Taylor, who averaged 20.5 points and 8.9 rebounds a year ago, led the Govs to their first 20-win season since 2010-11 and a second-straight appearance in the OVC Tournament semifinals. Taylor will likely be the featured piece for head coach Matt Figger’s attack in his junior campaign.
After surpassing both the 1,000-point and 500-rebound marks in his sophomore season, Taylor is one of just three returning players in the nation to have scored 1,000 points, grabbed 500 rebounds, shot better than 50 percent from the floor and 35 percent from three-point range. Vermont’s Anthony Lamb and South Alabama’s Josh Ajayi are the other two players to reach the milestones.
Taylor is one of 50 mid-major players to appear on the list while Belmont’s Nick Muszynski is the only other OVC player on the list.
The 2019-20 Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award will be announced in April 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia which will be the site of the men’s Division I NCAA Basketball Championship.