By Ripon Media in Uncategorized on January 26, 2017
By Brendan McCoy
On Friday, Dec. 2, 2016 Ty Sabin scored 35 points in a game against Monmouth College that saw the Red Hawks come from being down 12 points with just over 3 minutes left in the game to win by a final score of 79-76. This was not just another impressive game to go along with so many others performed by Sabin, rather it was the game in which he recorded his 1,872nd point as a collegiate player, the most in school history.
The senior guard came into his final season only 111 points away from Ripon College men’s basketball’s all-time career scoring record. As it turns out, Sabin only needed three games to stand alone atop the school’s scoring list. In one of those first three games, the New Berlin native set the school record for most points scored in a single game with 53 points. This mark broke his previous mark of 51 points set last season.
The record was previously held by Scott Gillespie ‘11 who scored 1,871 in his career at Ripon.
When the team traveled to Portland, Org. over winter break Sabin became the first player in school history to score 2,000 points in a career.
Sabin continues to score at an impressive rate leading the country in scoring at 30 points per contest. He hopes to continue his performance, while leading Ripon to its first conference championship since 1999.
“It’s an honor to be recognized with some of the greatest players and legends that have come before me in the program,” Sabin said “Ripon College men’s basketball has a very rich history and such a great tradition. I feel very honored.”
The exercise science major has had support from his teammates since the day he stepped onto campus.
“It couldn’t have happened to a better guy, on and off the court,” Junior forward Elliot Hoerdemann said “On the court, he is a relentless worker and strives for nothing less than perfection. Off the court, he is someone who you can count on to do anything for you. He has never once talked about the record or his scoring ability, which shows his humility and the type of person he really is.”
Head Coach, Ryan Kane added “His humility is the most special thing about coaching Ty. As much attention as he has gotten over the course of his career, he has never been boastful or put himself above the team. He is quick to praise his teammates and wants nothing more than team success. When your hardest worker is also your best player, it is easy to have the right culture, but when he is also your most humble player, one that accepts coaching, then that really is special.”
Sabin gives an ample amount of credit to his teammates and coaches noting that he would have been unable to receive so many individual accolades without them. When asked about his favorite memory at Ripon, Ty did not recall his best games or plays, rather he said, “Just the relationships I have built with my teammates over the years. We have made a lot of amazing memories, especially the pranks that we all play on each other.”
On Thursday, Dec. 30, 2016 Ty became the first player in Ripon College history to score 2,000 career points. With half of his senior season left to play, he has a chance to add to continue rewriting the record books and cement himself as one of the greatest players Ripon has even seen.
Kane knew he had a star from the day Sabin came to Ripon “In his second career game his freshman year, he scored 26 on Manchester (IN) and made it look easy. At that point, I knew he would be a 1,000 point scorer for us at a minimum. However, I knew he was going to be special when his sophomore year he had a stretch of 30 point games in close wins over some really good teams in and out of conference play.”
Sabin is looking to make a lasting impact on the program in ways that do not involve making shots by creating a culture and legacy that continues to improve each season. His advice for future Red Hawk basketball players is, “Just take it one day at a time, and give it 100 percent each day. Enjoy the process because this is some of the most fun you will have in your career. Finally, no matter what happens, good or bad, don’t let it get to you.”
Editor’s note: Brendan McCoy is a senior on the Ripon College men’s basketball team.