Clayton State Ranked No. 20 in DII Bulletin Preseason Poll; Taylor Named All-American Honorable Mention
MORROW, Ga. – Following one of the best seasons in program history, Clayton State men’s basketball has been ranked No. 20 in the Division II Bulletin Preseason Poll and senior forward Jaylen Taylor (Hephzibah, Ga.) has been named a Preseason All-American Honorable Mention.
“I’m really excited for our players and program,” said head coach Jimmy Link. “We return six guys that were all major contributors this past season so something like this is a complement to our guys, the staff and the Clayton State way.”
Last season the Lakers delivered a 24-7 overall record, 19-2 Peach Belt Conference mark for a second consecutive league regular season championship and a return to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time in a decade. The latter included a win over Carson-Newman in the quarterfinal round, marking at least one win in each of the program’s three appearances.
That performance has Clayton State situated as the third highest ranked team in the Southeast Region behind Lincoln Memorial (No. 4) and Queens (No. 11). They are also ahead of rival UNC Pembroke (No. 24) and are picked as the top team in the PBC ahead of the Braves and Francis Marion.
A major reason for that is the return of Taylor, who collects not only his first All-American honor but the first preseason one from the DII Bulletin on record in program history. The only other All-American recognition from that organization was an Honorable Mention selection for Brandon Robinson following the 2010-11 season.
Taylor is the first Laker since Robinson to earn an All-American honor in men’s basketball and just the third in team history. The only other is Clayton State Hall of Famer Robert Conley who collected preseason recognition from Blue Ribbon and Street & Smith’s and Third-Team honors from Daktronics following the 1998-99 season.
He is also one of just two players from the Southeast Region to be selected as an All-American and the only one from the Peach Belt. King’s Jordan Floyd and Lincoln Memorial’s Cornelius Taylor were both named to the Super 16 All-American selections.
In 2017-18 Taylor averaged 12.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and nearly an assist per game while starting 30 of his 31 games. He scored in double figures 20 times, including a career game of 29 points, 15 boards and three steals at Flagler (2/10) and was named to the All-PBC First-Team.
With his selection to an All-American team, Taylor extends a run of seven consecutive years that a Laker has had that honor bestowed upon them. It is also the 75th such recognition in the program’s 29-year history.
About Division II Bulletin
Since 1991, Division II Bulletin has been the leading publication covering Division II men’s basketball. Published 14 times from October through April, its issues include up-to-the-minute news, regional reports, standings and records for all Division II teams, coaching profiles and player and coach awards. Its Preseason Issue previews every conference and selects an All-American team while the Postseason Review awards a national Coach and Player of the Year.
2018-19 Division II Bulletin Preseason Poll
1. Bellarmine
2. Northwest Missouri
3. West Texas A&M
4. Lincoln Memorial
5. Saint Anselm
6. West Liberty
7. Western Washington
8. Nova Southeastern
9. West Florida
10. East Stroudsburg
11. Queens (N.C.)
12. Morehouse
13. Indiana (Pa.)
14. Southwest Missouri State
15. Ferris State
16. Cal Poly Pomona
17. Southern Nazarene
18. Regis
19. Findlay
20. Clayton State
21. Valdosta State
22. Daemen
23. Florida Southern
24. UNC Pembroke
25. UC San Diego
History of Clayton State Men’s Basketball All-Americans (5)
2018-19 – Jaylen Taylor (Division II Bulletin Preseason Honorable Mention)
2010-11 – Brandon Robinson (Division II Bulletin Honorable Mention)
1998-99 – Robert Conley (Daktronics Third-Team)
1998-99 – Robert Conley (Blue Ribbon Preseason)
1998-99 – Robert Conley (Street & Smith’s Preseason)
