Kansas City, MO | One day after learning he was named a National Association of Basketball Coaches 1st-team All-District player, College of Staten Island men’s basketball junior Christian Taylor went one better on Thursday, gaining an NABC Coaches’ Division III All-America Second-Team honor, the first of his career. He joined seven other second-team members and a total of 24 players comprising three All-America teams taken from the NCAA’s pool of 416 member basketball institutions.
“It’s a great accomplishment and I am very honored to have been selected as one of the top players in the country,” said Taylor when learning of the news. “It wouldn’t be possible without my teammates and the support from my family. It’s a reflection of all the hard work I put in every day.”
Taylor was also quick to acknowledge that the award represents just as much his coaching staff and the role his teammates have played, pushing him to get better and better. ” My coaches put all the faith in the world in me and it enables me to play the way I am comfortable playing. It makes me the best I can be,” he said. “My teammates make practice harder than the games with the intensity in our drills and scrimmages, and the trust we have in each other makes all the difference in the world.”
The City University of New York Athletic Conference’s Player of the Year, Taylor shot over 50% from the field in 2018-19, eclipsing the 1,000-point career mark with a 19.1 points per game average this season, ranked 95th nationally. Taylor also led the team in assists with 108, steals with 61, and was second on the team in rebounds (6.1 pg.) and FT% (71.4%). Taylor finished in the NCAA’s Top 50 in Steals per game with 2.26 (46th), and in total steals (35th). After a first-team CUNYAC All-Star citation and Tournament Most Valuable Player citation a year ago, Taylor now stands 27th all-time at CSI with 1,099 career points. Still, with a year ahead of him, Taylor isn’t as concerned with the numbers.
“It was a very tough way to end the season,” Taylor said, reflecting on CSI’s CUNYAC Championship loss in late-February. “But we will turn it into a positive as we will make sure we work harder in the gym than we ever have. Winning an honor like this makes me want to come back and prepare to get back on top where we belong.”
Regionally, Taylor represents the Atlantic District on the All-America team, joining NJCU’s Sam Toney (First-Team) and Yeshiva University’s Gabriel Leifer (Third-Team) as the other region’s All-America award winners. For a complete list of honorees, click here.
