18 April 2000
CONTACT: Stew Salowitz, 309-556-3206Titans’ Coon Named to Two All-America Squads
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Korey Coon of Illinois Wesleyan University has been named to the first team of two NCAA Division III All-American squads.
The 6-foot senior guard from East Peoria High School was chosen to the All-America teams selected by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and by columnist Chuck Mistovich of Basketball Times magazine. Coon was a second team All-American on both squads as a junior.
For the past two years, Coon was the co-winner of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin "Most Outstanding Player" award and was an all-CCIW first team selection for three straight years.
This season, Coon averaged 22.0 points per game for the 17-8 Titans, connecting on 157 of 163 free throws (.963). He was IWU's leading scorer in 17 games, including a career-high 42 against North Central.
Coon, the NABC Midwest District "Player of the Year", finished his career fifth in scoring at IWU with 1,782 points, No. 2 in career free throws made (449), and as the all-time leader with 245 3-point field goals.
Coon’s career free throw percentage was .913 (449 of 492), a school standard, and he holds the NCAA Division III and school records for consecutive free throws in a career with 70. His streak was from Feb. 13 (at North Central) to Dec. 4, 1999 (vs. Benedictine) and included 29 straight to end last year.
Coon also etched his name in the CCIW record books for career free throw percentage with a mark of .914 (224 of 245), topping the mark of .890, set by Gary Jackson of Millikin in 1980-81 when he made 89 of 100. Coon also finished as the CCIW's eighth best 3-point shooter with an accuracy of .459 (123 of 268). He is tied with IWU's Steve Kuehl, who shot .459 from 1989-93.
Earlier, Coon was chosen as the winner of the 2000 Jostens Trophy, recognizing the outstanding student-athlete in Division III basketball, and was named College Division "Academic All-American of the Year" for men's basketball for the past two seasons. He was also a D3hoops.com first team All-American.
Aaron Winkle,a 6-foot-6 senior from national champion Calvin, was named the NABC national "Player of the Year" while 6-foot-1 junior Horace Jenkins of William Patterson (N.J.) earned the same honor in Basketball Times.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BASKETBALL COACHES
2000 DIVISION III ALL-AMERICANSFirst Team
Horace Jenkins, William Patterson
T.J. Grimes, Hampden-Sydney
Pat Britton, Ithaca
Korey Coon, Illinois Wesleyan
Tom Williams, Cortland
Alex Kraft, Franklin & Marshall
Tishaun Jenkins, Salem State
Brant Bailey, Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Aaron Winkle, CalvinSecond Team
Maurice Davis, Rowan
Antoine Sinclair, Christopher Newport
Shawn Swavely, Albright
Kareem Tatum, Connecticut
Adam Jones, Buena Vista (Iowa)
John Ellenwood, Wooster
Jason Wiertel, Carthage
BASKETBALL TIMES MAGAZINE
2000 DIVISION III ALL-AMERICANSFirst Team
Horace Jenkins, William Paterson
Merrill Brunson, Wisconsin-Platteville
Brant Bailey, Wisconsin-Stevens Point
T.J. Grimes, Hampden-Sydney
Korey Coon, Illinois WesleyanSecond Team
Alex Kraft, Franklin & Marshall
Aaron Winkle, Calvin
John Wallenfelsz, Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Maurice Davis, Rowan
Antoine Sinclair, Christopher NewportThird Team
John Ellenwood, Wooster
Tishaun Jenkins, Salem State
Jason Wiertel, Carthage
Sherm Carstensen, Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Josh Estelle, Wabash