by The years of 2010-2019 saw a Vanugard men’s basketball reach the mountain top and take home a red banner, two individuals win at the national level, the launch of multiple new programs, and the ongoing drive to create world-changing leaders through sports. In all, the Blue and Gold suited up for 3,364 contests, taking home 1,785 victories in the process. They combined to earn 267 All-Conference Awards, 257 GSAC Player of the Week recognitions, 125 NAIA All-American Selections, and 32 Golden State Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors.
Everything came together at the right moment in the 2013-2014 season as they won the NAIA National Tournament, becoming the first squad in the program’s 64-year history to earn a Golden State Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament crown in the same season, the only team to ever advance past the second round of the national tournament, and the all-time record holder for the most wins in a single season, (32). In deciding the all-decade team, using the metric of selection one player for each position on the court, the committee made sure to keep each player at natural positions to the best of their ability.
Guard – In his time at Vanguard Preston Wynne (Spokane Tribe) was a dominant force and was an obvious selection. He needed only 63 games to become top-five scorer at VU, ranking third in most three-point FG’s made and fifth in steals. He was a two-time All-Conference player, a two-time NAIA All-American, and in the 2013-2014 season was the GSAC Player of the Year, the NAIA Player of the Year, and made the NAIA All-Tournament Team. He scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed six rebounds in the national title game to seal the second NAIA team championship in the school’s history. Taylor Kelly, one of the foundational members of the lead up to the championship team, also received consideration. In 86 games he ranks seventh in three-pointers attempted, eighth in games started, ninth in triples made, and 10th in field goals attempted.
