Welcome to A10 Talk’s Top 25 Player Countdown. Each day, we publish a new article counting down the 25 best players in the Atlantic 10 this past season. Today, we feature #5 Tyler Cavanaugh.
Best Performances:
On January 9th, Tyler Cavanaugh dropped a career-high 30 points on the Duquesne Dukes, leading George Washington to a crucial 91-64 win at home, following a tough loss to Saint Louis. However, throughout the entire season, and especially in the postseason, Cavanaugh became an invaluable asset to GW. Tyler scored 97 points in the five NIT games, and was name Most Outstanding Player of the tournament following the Colonials’ 76-60 victory over Valparaiso in the championship game.
Key Stats:
Tyler Cavanaugh ranked 8th in the A-10 in free throw percentage (83.1%), 9th in rebounding (7.4), 10th in 3-point percentage (40%), 11th in field goal percentage (56.7), and 14th in points per game (16.4). In addition, Cavanaugh was the only player on the George Washington roster to score in double figures in every game of the season, and recording at least 20 points 10 times.
Team Effort:
Cavanaugh had a lot of hype in Foggy Bottom entering this season, and as it turns out, rightfully so. He quickly fit into Mike Lonergan’s style of play for GW and helped alleviate some of the pressure from Kevin Larsen’s shoulders. Tyler became one of the Colonials’ most dependable free throw shooters, as well as a potent outside threat. Perhaps his biggest moment of the season came against Florida in the NIT Quarterfinals, when Cavanaugh knocked down an enormous three with 54 seconds left, to give GW a 77-73 lead. The Colonials would hang on to defeat the Gators 82-77 en route to their first-ever NIT Championship.
Previously: #6 Charles Cooke
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