Wooster Lands Three on All-Great Lakes Teams

James Cooper

Tom Port

James Cooper (Springfield, Ohio / Springfield South), Tom Port (Avon Lake, Ohio / Avon Lake), and Kyle Witucky (Zanesville, Ohio / Zanesville) of The College of Wooster were recently honored as three of the best in the Great Lakes, based on the announcement of the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ All-District Team (March 17) and the D3hoops.com All-Region Team (March 14). Cooper was voted first-team by both organizations, Port picked up first-team honors on D3hoops.com, which is determined by the region’s sports information directors, and second-team accolades from the coaches, and Witucky received second-team recognition on D3hoops.com.

Cooper, a 6-0, 155-pound sophomore shooting guard, put together one of the best offensive seasons by a Fighting Scot in recent memory. He led the North Coast Athletic Conference in scoring, something that no Wooster player had accomplished previously, with an average of 19.2 points. Cooper’s 575 total points were the fourth-most in school history, while his average marked the seventh-highest. A highly-efficient scorer, Cooper ranked among the league’s top-10 in all three shooting categories – field-goal percentage (7th, .557), 3-point percentage (5th, .470), and free throw percentage (3rd, .817). He also increased his assist average from 1.4 last year to 2.4, to go with 2.2 rebounds and 0.9 steals.

Port, who was tabbed with second-team recognition from both the NABC and D3hoops.com last year, finished with averages of 15.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.0 blocks – second-best on the Scots in each of those categories – despite missing four games due to a fractured left wrist and playing the final 10 with a brace. The 6-5, 215-pound senior forward ranked sixth in the conference in scoring, 12th in rebounding, sixth in assists, and tied for 10th in blocks, as well as second in free throw percentage (.840) and third in 3-pointers made (2.04 per game).

Witucky, also an all-region pick last season (first-team on D3hoops.com, second-team from NABC), directed Wooster’s slightly-revised offense, which scored at a school-record rate of 98.2 points per game, from his point guard position. The four-year starter dished out a career-high 111 assists, to go with averages of 8.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.1 steals during 2005-06. Witucky wound up third in the league statistics in assist-to-turnover ratio (+2.10 per game), fourth in assist average (3.70 per game), and 10th in 3-pointers made (1.70 per game).

The trio helped lead the Scots to their third NCAC championship in the last four seasons, and the program’s ninth overall, via a 15-1 conference record. Wooster also finished with a 26-4 overall mark, including a 91-88 year-ending loss at Transylvania University in the second round of the NCAA Div. III Tournament.