March 30, 2004
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Illinois Wesleyan sophomore Keelan Amelianovich has been selected to the first team of the Division III All-American squads chosen selected by member coaches of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
The 6-foot-6 forward from Naperville (Neuqua Valley HS) was earlier chosen to the D3hoops.com second team All-American squad, was named the NABC's Midwest Region "Player of the Year" and was named the "Most Outstanding Player" in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.
Amelianovich was a first team NABC and D3hoops.com all-region selection, as well as a first team all-CCIW selection.
Amelianovich is the seventh Titan player to earn NABC Division III All-American honors. Jeff Kuehl (1989), Chris Simich (1995), Bryan Crabtree (1997), Brent Niebrugge (1998), and Korey Coon (2000) were all first-team selections, while Blaise Bugajski was chosen as a second team All-American in 1984. Kuehl (1990), Simich (1996) and Coon (1999) were also second-team All-Americans.
Amelianovich averaged a team-high 17.9 points per game in leading IWU to a 21-7 season and a berth in the final 16 of the Division III tournament. He was the Titans' leading scorer in 18 games and top rebounder in seven. He connected on a school record 82 3-point field goals and, through games of March 14, he was second in the nation with a .506 3-point shooting percentage (82-of-162).
His 502 points this winter is 22nd most in an IWU season and he ranks 14th all-time at the school with 88 3-pointers.
Joining Amelianovich on the first team are Seth Hauben of Rochester, Dennis Stanton of Ursinus, Justin Call of Emory & Henry, Ben Coffin of Williams, Jim Conrad of Ohio Northern, Samar Battle of New Jersey City and Richard Melzer of Wisconsin-River Falls.
On the second team is Hanover's Thad McCracken, Joe Smith of Hamilton, Badou Gaye of Gwynedd-Mercy, Sidney Ellis of Maryville (Tenn.), Michael Crotty of Williams, Travis Schwab of Ohio Wesleyan University, Ramapo's Charles Ransom and Jason Kalsow of national champion Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
