While Thursday night’s loss may have ended the Badgers’ season, the accolades keep flowing in for a team that won 25 games in 2010-2011, the third-most in program history. Monday it was about the individual accomplishments as junior guard Jordan Taylor (2nd team) and senior forward Jon Leuer (honorable mention) were both named All-Americans by the Associated press.
Taylor, who becomes just the 4th UW player to earn first or second team honors, finished the season with 18.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game. Most importantly, the junior point guard led the nation with a 3.83 assist-to-turnover ratio, the best in program history and a big factor in Wisconsin being the nation’s second-most efficient offense at nearly 1.16 points per possession.
A consensus first team All-Big Ten selection and a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation’s top point guard, Taylor made his mark this year and figures to be a preseason Big Ten player of the year frontrunner come next fall.
Leuer, a member of the USA Select Team during the summer of 2010, came off of an injury-plagued junior year and more than justified his place among the Big Ten’s best. Scoring in double digits in each of UW’s first 33 games, Leuer led the Badgers with 18.3 points per game, adding in 7.2 rebounds while posting a team-high 6 double-doubles. He, along with fellow senior Keaton Nankivil, was along one of only three players in the Big Ten to knock down 20 3-pointers while putting up 20 blocks. Leuer crossed the 1,000 point mark in early in the season, finishing his career with 1,376 points, 12th in school history.
In addition, Leuer’s 621 points are the third-highest single-season total in program history.
“I’m proud of Jordan and Jon, as well as the University of Wisconsin, for this recognition,” UW head coach Bo Ryan said. “To have two guys from the same team earn this kind of honor is pretty special. Both players had tremendous seasons and were major contributors to a team that went from unranked to top 10 and won 25 games.”
Leuer was probably a preseason candidate for national acclaim, but the rise of Jordan Taylor among the nation’s elite was not in the forecast, at least outside the inner circles of Wisconsin basketball.
After spending two years in the shadow of guard Trevon Hughes, Taylor broke out of his shell in 2010-2011, emerging onto the national spotlight with 21 second-half points in a come-from-behind win over then-undefeated Ohio State. He then followed that performance up just two weeks later with a 39-point night in Bloomington, willing the Badgers to a conference road win.
“This is quite an honor to be voted as one of the top players in the country,” Taylor said. “I’m humbled by the recognition, but like all individual awards, this is a reflection of the entire team.”
With all that the Badgers were able to accomplish this season, these honors are a fitting way to cap it off. The names on the list might read Taylor and Leuer, but these honors were truly the result of a team effort.
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