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TAYRON THOMAS NAMED FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICA

March 22, 2006

NEW HAVEN, CT - Philadelphia University senior guard Tayron Thomas was named a 2006 NCAA Division II first-team All-America today by two separate organizations, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) as well as Daktronics. It is the second consecutive year that Thomas has been honored, as he was a second-team selection as a junior last season.

The leading scorer in NCAA Division II with 29.0 ppg, Thomas had a record-setting senior campaign for Head Coach Herb Magee, earning Daktronics Northeast Region Co-Player of the Year honors as well as being named the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Player of the Year. His 898 points this season set a new school record, breaking former Rams' All-America Mike Louden's previous mark of 712 set in 1989-90. Thomas also set a new school career scoring record, finishing with 2,414 points to eclipse Randy Stover's total of 2,369. The Bristol, Pa., native nearly set a new single-game school record in an overtime loss to Presbyterian (S.C.) College at the Disney Tip-Off Classic, finishing with 53 points. Thomas' total left him just one point shy of Cleveland Smith's record of 54, set against Susquehanna University in 1966.

"I couldn't be happier for Tayron, who has been an absolute joy to work with both on and off the court for the past four years," said Magee, whose team finished with a 20-11 overall record. "He is a complete player with the ability not only to score, but rebound, defend and most importantly, make others around him better. He leaves here as one of the top players we have ever had in the program and his basketball-playing future is bright."

In addition to his scoring during the 2005-06 season, Thomas also led the team in assists (117) and steals (55), while also contributing 7.8 rpg. He also shot 49.7% from the field and 82.8% from the free-throw line, converting an amazing 260 of 314 attempts. He closes his career with the Rams ranked tenth all-time in school history in assists, steals and three-point field goals made. For his efforts this year, Thomas was one of 20 players selected to play in the inaugural NCAA Division II/NABC Men's Basketball All-Star game, scheduled to be played on Friday, March 24th, at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.