Ty Sabin

Class of 2017: International basketball

Ty Sabin is one of the greatest scorers in the history of NCAA Division-III basketball and holds numerous Ripon College records that still stand.

Tyler Francis Sabin was born Oct. 15, 1994, in New Berlin, Wisconsin. He was recruited to come to Ripon by Head Men’s Basket Coach Ryan Kane. “He was the reason I chose Ripon College, and I was excited about what we could accomplish together on the court,” Sabin says. “More importantly, he cared about me as a person and cared more about what I could accomplish off the court, which is something that stuck out to me.”

A four-time All-Conference player, Sabin started all 98 games during his Red Hawks career. He was named Central Region Rookie of the Year as he led the team to a third-place finish in the MWC with 19.6 points per game; and in 2017 he led the entire country in scoring with 30.7 ppg, while leading Ripon to an MWC Tournament Championship and their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 15 years.

He scored 798 points that season, a single-season school record and ranks second in MWC history, just 16 points shy of the conference record. That also marked the third time Sabin scored more than 500 points in a season, making him the only player in program history to accomplish that feat, while also becoming the only Ripon player to score more than 600 points in more than one season, doing that three times, as well.

The only three-time Men’s Basketball Player of the Year in Midwest Conference history, Sabin was also a three-time All-American, earning First Team honors during his senior season. He finished his career with a school record 2,559 points, nearly 700 more than the second-highest total, and places him second on the MWC’s all-time scoring list. His career scoring average of 26.1 points per game was the highest of any active player in the NCAA, across all three divisions.

Sabin also holds the school record for career 3-pointers (283), while ranking fifth in program history for 3-point percentage (.465), second in free throw percentage (.859), and eighth in assists (248).

Sabin was named Central Region Player of the Year at the conclusion of his senior season. He was recognized with 2016-17 NABC All-America First Team and D3hoops.com men’s All-America First Team honors and was selected to play in the Division-III All-Star game at the D-III Final Four.

“I had a lot of great coaches while playing at Ripon and they all helped me in so many different ways both on the court and off, but the most influential coach I had was Coach Kane,” Sabin said. “My experience at Ripon College means everything to me. To this day, Ripon College is where I met some of my closest friends and I’m proud to represent Ripon everywhere I go in the world.”
Sabin has used his experience and skills honed at Ripon to continue his basketball career professionally overseas. He has played with teams in Denmark, Spain, Sweden, Iceland, Italy, and Romania, and currently plays with the team Obras Basket in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

“It’s been quite a journey playing in different teams, leagues, and countries all over the world,” Sabin said. “At times, there are language barriers and things like that but what makes it so unique and special is basketball has a way of having its own language and brings people together no matter where in the world you’re from.

“I think what I enjoy most about an athletic career is I’ve managed to turn my childhood dream into my full-time occupation. An orange basketball has allowed me to travel and see the world.”