2017-18 Men's Basketball Roster
Sterling Taplin
- Position:
- Guard
- Height:
- 6-1
- Weight:
- 200
- Class:
- Junior
- Hometown:
- East Amherst, N.Y.
- High School:
- St. Thomas Moore [Conn.] School
CAREER AT TULSA –– Four-year letterwinner who appeared in 123 games with 96 starts … his 123 games played at TU is tied for 19th-most in program history ... averaged 8.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists during his career ... became the 38th player in program history to score at least 1,000 points and he is one of just four TU players to score 1,000 points and record 400 assists ... ranks fifth on the program’s all-time assists list with 406 ... scored in double-figures 49 times.
2018-19 — Started all 32 games and averaged 9.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game ... shot 38.2-percent from the floor and hit 32 3-pointers ... averaged 9.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists during conference play ... had 14 double-figure scoring games and led the Hurricane in scoring four times ... led the team in assists 19 times and paced the squad in steals eight times ... posted at least five assists in a game 11 times ... had a career-high 10 assists in the win over South Carolina State (Nov. 10) ... posted a season-high 22 points against No. 6 Nevada (Nov. 22) ... went 10-for-10 at the free-throw line on his way to 15 points in the win over USF (Jan. 5) ... tied a career high with eight rebounds against Oral Roberts (Dec. 22).
2017-18 — Started all 30 games that he played and averaged career bests with 11.8 points, 4.4 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game ... also set career highs as he shot 46.2-percent from the field and hit 38 3-pointers ... ranked 23rd in The American in scoring, while his 4.4 assists per game ranked fourth and his .729 free-throw percentage ranked 14th ... averaged 11.5 points, 4.6 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game and shot 47.5-percent during conference play ... also shot 42.2-percent behind the arc in conference play to rank third in the circuit ... named to the league’s weekly honor roll once ... scored in double-figures 18 times ... led the team in scoring three times, in assists 24 times and steals 14 times ... went 10-of-12 from the floor, including 7-of-8 from behind the arc, en route to a career-high 30 points in the win at UConn (Feb. 15) ... also hit six 3-pointers on his way to 26 points against No. 5 Wichita State ... had a career-high eight rebounds twice, in wins against Kansas State (Dec. 9) and Prairie View A&M (Dec. 14) ... had at least five assists in a game 15 times, including a season-high eight helpers in the win over Tulane (Feb. 8) ... started the season with seven consecutive games of at least 10 points, with 18-point outings against Lamar (Nov. 10) and UTSA (Nov. 28).
2016-17 — Appeared in all 32 games with 30 starts … averaged 9.2 points, 3.8 assists and 3.2 rebounds per contest … shot 39.5-percent from the field, 40.3-percent behind the arc and a team-leading 84.5-percent at the free-throw line … was even better in conference action at 10.4 points, 4.2 assists and 3.4 rebounds per outing, while he averaged a team-high 31.1 minutes … reached double-figures 14 times during the campaign, including a season-high 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting in a win over Tulane (Jan. 18), and led the team in scoring five times … led TU in assists 21 times and steals 14 times … named The American Player of the Week (Jan. 16) after he averaged 15.5 points, 5.0 assists, 3.0 steals and 2.5 rebounds, while he shot 55-percent from the field and 50-percent behind the arc in wins over Memphis (Jan. 11) and Temple (Jan. 14) … also named to the league’s weekly honor roll three times … poured in 17 points to go along with six assists against the Tigers and had 14 points, including the game-winning bucket, with a career-high five steals against the Owls … had 11 games of at least five assists, led by a career-best nine assists against East Carolina (Feb. 26) … pulled down a career-high seven rebounds against Houston (Feb. 11).
2015-16 –– Played in 29 games with four starts … averaged 2.6 points and 1.1 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per game … scored double digit points three times … tallied 13 points, two assists and three steals on 5-of-8 shooting against Northern Arizona (Dec. 22) … hit all four of his shots and scored 12 points with three rebounds against Tulane (Jan. 30) … went 3-of-4 behind the arc en route to a season-high 15 points at Memphis (Feb. 28) … scored six points against East Carolina (Jan. 5) … added five points against Little Rock (Nov. 28) and Iona (Dec. 8).
HIGH SCHOOL –– Spent one year at St. Thomas More School in Oakdale, Conn. … named Buffalo News Allen Wilson Player of the Year as a senior at Williamsville North High School after he averaged 22.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 3.1 steals per game … shot nearly 50-percent from the field and 35-percent from beyond the 3-point arc that season … a three-time first-team All-Western New York selection, and one of just five players in Western New York history to earn that honor in three consecutive years … tallied school records with 1,877 points and 245 steals in his varsity career and set the school single-game record with 45 points in 27 minutes as a senior … played in the Jordan Brand Classic Regional Game at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
PERSONAL –– Began playing basketball at age seven … favorite NBA player is Dwyane Wade … favorite movie is Now You See Me and favorite TV show is “Real Husbands of Hollywood” … most memorable sports moment was Tulsa’s win over No. 9 Wichita State as a freshman … parents are Glenn and Cheryl Taplin … has one sister … born Dec. 21, 1995, in Buffalo, N.Y. … major is film studies.
Taplin … has one sister … born Dec. 21, 1995, in Buffalo, N.Y. … major is film studies.
