MARCH 21, 2005
BOB ZIADIE
HORGAN NAMED THIRD-TEAM NABC ALL-AMERICAN
WILKES-BARRE -- King's College basketball standout Brian
Horgan (North Wales/LaSalle), has been named to the National
Association of Basketball Coaches Division III All-American Team as a
third-team selection.
Horgan, a 6-4 senior forward, recently concluded a
brilliant career with the Monarchs by leading the team to its finest
season ever with a school-record 24-6 record, a Freedom Conference
championship, and the programs first NCAA Division III National Tournament
berth since 1992. Horgan then powered the Monarchs to a spot in the NCAA
"Elite Eight" for the first time in school history
As a senior, Horgan averaged 19.9 points, 6.8
rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 1.9 assists while hitting 83 three-pointers on
the year. He was named the 2005 Freedom Conference "Player of the
Year" and was named most valuable player of the Freedom Conference
Tournament.
Horgan was also named to the NCAA Tournament
All-Sectional Team for his efforts in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games
held during the sectional finals March 11-12 at Ramapo College. He was
additionally named to the 2005 NABC All Mid-Atlantic Region team as a
first-team selection.
During the regular-season, Horgan was awarded most
valuable player honors of the Ramada Inn/Monarch Classic and was named
all-tournament at the Susquehanna University Tip-Off and the Wilkes-Barre
Challenge.
Horgan concludes his King's career third on the
Monarchs' all-time scoring list with 1,637 points and is ranked first with
261 steals and third with 182 three-point field goals. He has also totaled
657 rebounds, 242 assists, and 59 blocked shots.
For his career, Horgan shot 47.9 (564-1177) percent
from the field and 73.6 (327-444) percent from the foul line. He was a
two-time first-team Freedom Conference all-star and was an NABC
second-team all-regional choice in 2004.
"Brian has been an outstanding player for us
and was truly the leader of our team this season," King's coach J.P.
Andrejko stated. "He is the type of player a coach loves to have
because he works extremely hard but always want to get better. Brian was a
very coachable player over the course of his career and did whatever we
told him he needed to do to improve. He is one of the most versatile,
all-around players I have been around and has some of the best instincts I
have ever seen. While his statistics are impressive, the things you don't
see on the stat sheets after games stand out in my mind. The little things
like diving for loose balls, getting hands in the passing lanes, moving
without the ball, drawing an offensive foul. Those are among the many
things that make him such a complete player."
Horgan's performance was even more impressive due to
constant back pain resulting from an construction-related injury which
forced him to miss the 2002-03 season, resulting in a medical redshirt
year from the NCAA. As a senior, Horgan played in a number of games with
severe pain which hindered his movement and leaping ability. The Monarch
standout often slept with a portable electrical stimulation machine
attached to his lower back in an effort to keep his muscles relaxed.
"Brian is a very soft-spoken and modest person,
but when your best player is your hardest worker, that leadership is
embraced by the rest of the team, Andrejko noted. " He endured a lot
of pain with his back problem but never used it as an excuse and played
through the rough days as best as he could. The rest of the team saw the
way he battled through pain and that inspired them to play that much
harder."
Horgan will graduate from King's in May with a
degree in business.
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