By Timothy P. Riethmiller
Taylor Men's basketball descend from No. 32 down the polls and move into the "NAIA Coaches' top 25 poll" taking the No. 20 slot after seven straight wins.
The Trojan men found themselves unranked and towards back of the crowd when it came to "the standings" at the beginning of the season. Taylor now 19-7 overall and 11-3 in the Crossroads League (CRL) conference. The Trojans tie the Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats and the Bethel Pilots for the No. 1 spot within the CRL.
On the leader-board Taylor's senior guard Casey Coons, from Indianapolis, holds a tremendous 84 points from the 3-point line with an overall season score of 408 points, a shooting average of 40.5% and 16.3 Pts/G. Coons also scored his 2,000 career point in last weekends game against Marian University where Trojans dominated the hardwood 55-45. Coons' stats could be blamed for Taylor's success this year thus far.
Closely behind Coons is center Nate Kasper, a senior from Valparaiso, Ind. Kasper has ranked an impressive 361 points so far, in this season alone. Additionally Kasper leads the team with both free-throws (75) and rebounds (51). Kasper's overall field goal percentage stands at an impressive 57.4% and 14.4 Pts/G.
The only CRL matches the Trojans have let slip away were not only devilishly close, but also back-to-back. No. 9 Grace College, 71-60, and No. 6 Indiana Wesleyan, 58-54.
Since Taylor's two-straight losses, they have racked an impressive seven game win streak and moved from fifth in the conference to first.
With the Trojans seeking a bid for the NAIA Nationals Basketball tournament, it will be pivotal for them to keep up their winning streak to remain in the standings.
Next on the Trojan's hit list is Spring Arbor (17-9, 7-7), followed by Huntington (13-13, 4-10), then No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan (22-4, 11-3). The Trojans close the regular season with No. 22 Grace College (18-7,10-4).
Polls: http://www.naia.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27900&ATCLID=206277579
