BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Coming off one of the best seasons in Western Washington University men’s basketball history, graduating senior point guard Taylor Stafford has signed a professional contract to play for Höttur in the Icelandic Professional League.
Stafford (Chicago, IL/Eastern Arizona) starred for the Vikings in 2016-17, earning Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player and Newcomer of the Year honors, and was named the GNAC Tournament MVP. WWU finished with a 25-6 record and advanced to the NCAA Division II West Regional as the No. 3 seed.
“I am very excited to continue my career overseas playing the game I love,” said Stafford, who will graduate this Saturday from WWU with a degree in multidisciplinary studies. “It is kind of surreal and an unbelievable blessing to be able to play professionally. I am looking forward to the opportunity and thankful for all the support I have received at Western.”
In 31 games, Stafford ranked 14th in NCAA II averaging 22.8 points per game, and was also 4th in the GNAC in assists (3.5 per game), 3rd in free throw percentage (86.9%/172-for-198) and 3rd in steals (1.7 per game). He scored 20+ points in 20 of 31 games, and had a league-best eight 30-point performances.
In addition to being named the GNAC Player of the Year, Stafford was a First Team All-America selection by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), becoming the third player in program history to earn first-team All-America honors. He was also a finalist for the Bevo Francis Small College Basketball Player of the Year and was selected to play in the NABC/Reece’s Division II All-Star Game. He was also the recipient of the 2016-17 WWU Athletics Male Athlete of the Year award.
“Taylor is capping off a very successful senior season. We are very proud and excited for him as he is becoming a college graduate and signing his first professional contract,” said WWU head coach Tony Dominguez. “Taylor has worked very hard to put himself in a position to achieve personal dreams and goals, and it is rewarding to see him reach such great achievement.”
Stafford will leave for Iceland in September for training camp and the season will start shortly after that.
— @WWUHoops —
