February 11, 2008

CONTACT: Stew Salowitz, 309-556-3206

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Three former Illinois Wesleyan men’s basketball players have been chosen to the all-decade squads chosen by D3hoops.com.

Korey Coon, a 2000 graduate, was named to the first team, while 2006 graduates Adam Dauksas and Keelan Amelianovich were named to the third and fourth teams, respectively.

The all-decade teams were compiled from D3hoops.com All-America teams over the years. D3hoops.com came under its current management at the beginning of the 1997-98 season.

Coon, a starting guard as a freshman on IWU’s 1997 national NCAA Division III championship team, was twice a D3hoops.com all-American (second team in 1999 and first team in 2000) and was twice chosen as the “Most Outstanding Player” in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (1999, 2000).

In addition to the national title team, his teams in 1998 and 1999 also played in the Division III tourneys and he is No. 6 all-time at IWU with 1,782 points. He connected on 70 consecutive free throws during a stretch of his career and his .963 free throw percentage (157 of 163) as a senior is still a Division III season record.

He was College Division “Academic All-American of the Year” in 1999 and 2000 and for his efforts as both a student and an athlete, he was awarded the 2000 Jostens Trophy.

“Korey was the best clutch 3-point shooter that I have ever coached and maybe ever seen,” said former IWU coach Dennie Bridges. “Later in his career, as teams desperately tried to take away the three, he learned to take the ball to the hoop which put him on the free throw line where he shot 90 percent. On the court he was a fierce competitor who, as a freshman, was a key player in Illinois Wesleyan's national championship.
“Off the floor he was like the Pied Piper inspiring young kids to line the floor before the home games as ‘Korey's Kids’. In the classroom he never got a grade lower than an A.”

Dauksas and Amelianovich were part of IWU teams that won three league championships and made four NCAA tournament appearances, earning a third place finish in 2006 and twice advancing to the final 16.

A 6-foot-3 guard, Dauksas was a D3hoops.com first team all-American in both 2005 and 2006 and was the CCIW “Most Outstanding Player” as a junior (2005). Twice a first team all-CCIW player, he finished his career as IWU’s all-time assist leader with 584 and is the school’s 11th leading scorer with 1,475 points.

“Adam was one of the most competitive players I have ever been around,” said former Titan coach Scott Trost. “His will to win was second to none.  There were many games that he took over and just refused to let us lose. He is a better person than he was basketball player.  It was truly an honor to coach him.”

Amelianovich, a 6-foot-6 forward, was a first team all-American in 2006 and second team in 2004 and 2005. He was the CCIW “Player of the Year” as a sophomore and, as a senior, he averaged 18.5 points and 4.4 rebounds on the national third place team. He scored 28 points in the national semifinals vs. eventual champion Virginia Wesleyan and was named to the all-tournament team.

Amelianovich is IWU’s all-time leader with 252 3-point field goals and is No. 8 with 1,590 points.

“I will remember Keelan as one of the best pure shooters that I have seen play,” said Trost. “He was always very poised and had a great understanding of the game. He hit big shot after big shot for his team.”