KENNY TATE NAMED DIVISION II BULLETIN PLAYER OF THE YEAR

EDINBORO, PA - Prior to the start of the 2001-02 basketball season, Division II Bulletin chose Edinboro University men's basketball standout Kenny Tate (Philadelphia, PA/Chester) as its Preseason Player of the Year. After Tate posted his third straight campaign averaging a double-double, the basketball publication must have agreed with its own prediction. Today Division II Bulletin named Tate its Division II Men's Basketball Player of the Year.

This marks the third first team All-American honor for the Fighting Scot. After recently being named a first team Daktronics All-American for the second straight year, Tate added NABC All-American honors to his resume, just the second Edinboro player so honored.

Tate was chosen as Player of the Year over Ronald Evans from Kentucky Wesleyan, American International's Malik Moore, and Ronald Murray of Shaw.

"Kenny was our Preseason Player of the Year and he definitely showed that he was one of the top performers in the country," noted DIIB editor Gary Rubin. "There were a number of top candidates for this award, but Kenny showed with his play that he was most deserving."

The 6'3", 210 lb. senior completed his three-year Edinboro career with another brilliant season. He led the Fighting Scots both in scoring (18.6 ppg.) and rebounding (10.5 rpg.) for the third straight year. Thanks largely to his efforts, Edinboro finished with an 18-9 record and advanced to the PSAC Tournament. The forward shot 49.3 percent from the floor (199 of 404) and was 101 of 131 from the free throw line (77.1 percent). He led the Scots in steals with 42, finished second in blocked shots with 17, and was third in assists with 51. All three figures were the highest of his career.

The forward finished the season with 14 double-doubles and 14 games of 20-or-more points. In 81 career games, he accumulated 46 double-doubles and scored 20-or-more points in 40 games. As was the case throughout his three seasons, Tate saved his best games for Edinboro's toughest opponents. He scored a season-high 28 points against Gannon and had 21 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Indiana(Pa.). In addition, he had 27 points vs. Mercyhurst and 27 points and 10 boards vs. West Chester, and matched his career high with 18 rebounds against Mansfield, adding 24 points. He had 21 points and 14 rebounds in the first meeting vs. California(Pa.), and concluded his career with a 24-point, 9-rebound effort in the playoff loss to the Vulcans.

While playing in just three campaigns, Tate departs as the fourth all-time leading scorer with 1,552 points, just one shy of Tim Smiley's third-place figure, and third in career rebounds with 843. In addition, he stands fourth in career field goals made (623), fifth in career field goals attempted (1,244), tied for fifth in free throws made (297), and third in free throws attempted (415). He holds the 9th, 11th and 13th-highest scoring totals for a season, and his season rebounding figures ranked 7th, 9th and 12th. Most importantly, Edinboro posted a 52-29 record in his three campaigns, finishing in first place in the PSAC West each of the last two seasons. Tate also became the first player in Edinboro history to score 500-or-more points in three different seasons.

"This is probably the final jewel in the crown," exclaimed head coach Greg Walcavich. "It's certainly the highest award someone can get. It's well-deserved, and great way for him to finish his career. Obviously, a lot of people besides me think very highly of him. It's hard to put up big numbers. When you picked as the Preseason Player of the Year and still do it, that's a real testament to the type of player he is. He was a marked man every night and produced within what our team was doing. We had a very good year despite injuries and illnesses, and he was the key component.

"It's tough enough to score in double figures or average double figures in rebounds," Walcavich continued, "but to average a double-double is really something. I've been doing this a long time, and I've never had anyone better than that. I was very pleased with all the individual honors Kenny has received. Player of the Year, that's just great. It's a remarkable accomplishment."

~ Fighting Scots ~

Edinboro Athletic Press Release Index

Created on ... 4/2/02