2012
Thaddeous Delaney, Class of '97 (Basketball)
Affectionately nicknamed, "The Shaq of the TAAC," Thaddeous Delaney was a dominant player for the men's basketball team from 1994-97 and always played his best games against the best competition in the country, according to legendary head coach John Kresse. He still ranks as the school's fifth all-time leading scorer with 1,564 career points (second all-time in CofC NCAA Division I history) and the second all-time leading rebounder with 1,119 career rebounds (first all-time in TAAC history). During his four-year career, the Cougars compiled an impressive 101-17 overall record including four TAAC championships, two NIT and two NCAA Tournament appearances. A three-time All-TAAC First Team selection, he recorded 51 career double-doubles and averaged a career 13.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Honored as the 1996 TAAC Player of the Year, his 11.4 rebounding average ranked No. 7 nationally as a junior. During his senior campaign, he helped the Cougars to a No. 16 national ranking in the final Associated Press Top 25 Poll and a 29-3 mark with their three losses coming only to eventual 1997 national champion Arizona, NCAA runner-up Kentucky and Oklahoma State. He was named TAAC Player of the Week three times and earned TAAC All-Tournament honors. In his final collegiate game, Delaney scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds against Arizona in the NCAA Second Round. He participated in the prestigious Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in 1997 and played professionally overseas in Argentina, Australia, Chile, the Philippines and Spain.
