Jeffery Taylor
Encyclopedia
Jeffery Matthew Taylor is a Swedish
basketball
player currently in his senior (final) season at Vanderbilt University
. A 6'7" (2.01 m) swingman
, he was rated by the NBA Draft projection site DraftExpress.com in August 2011 as the top rising senior in college basketball
and a late first-round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. Taylor is also one of three Vanderbilt players named by Basketball Prospectus as among the top 20 in men's college basketball in the 2011–12 season.
, who briefly played in the NBA
before playing in Sweden, where he has lived ever since. While the younger Taylor is a citizen of both Sweden and the United States
by birth, and has lived in the U.S. since 2006, he has said, "...if someone asks where I'm from, I say Sweden." However, he grew up steeped in the basketball culture of Hobbs, New Mexico
, where his father was a high school star in the late 1970s:
He quickly drew major interest from NCAA Division I programs, especially after a senior season when he averaged more than 30 points while leading Hobbs to a state title.
Taylor, named one of the top 150 recruits in the country by ESPN
, considered about a half-dozen schools before narrowing his choices to Vanderbilt
and Texas
, eventually choosing Vanderbilt. He was one of three top-150 recruits signed by Commodores head coach Kevin Stallings
in 2008.
, DraftExpress.com said, "One of the most pleasant surprises in last season’s mediocre SEC
[Southeastern Conference] was the emergence of Vanderbilt freshman Jeff Taylor." He averaged 12.2 points and 6.2 rebounds on his way to SEC All-Freshman honors. However, he showed one weakness in an otherwise solid season by shooting only 22 percent from three-point range
.
His sophomore season
saw some progress, but also some cause for concern; one scout said near the end of the season, "while he is improved in many areas, he has regressed in some as well." Taylor improved his scoring average to 13.3 per game, but his rebounding dropped slightly to 5.2 per game. The most obvious issue was his perimeter shooting, which saw a decline; he attempted only 11 three-pointers and made only one. Nonetheless, he was named to the All-SEC second team by the league's coaches, and was also named to the SEC All-Defensive Team.
In 2010–11
, he further established his reputation as a defensive stopper, frequently being called on to defend every position on the floor except center
while again being named to the SEC All-Defensive Team. Taylor also improved his three-point shooting to a more respectable 34.5% while attempting more than twice as many shots from behind the arc as in his first two seasons combined. Averaging 14.7 points and 5.5 rebounds, he was again named second-team All-SEC.
Taylor was widely viewed as a potential early entry into the 2011 NBA Draft
, based mainly on his athleticism and defensive skills. However, he decided to stay at Venderbilt for his senior season in 2011–12
. His decision to return, along with those of fellow stars John Jenkins
and Festus Ezeli
, made the Commodores a likely preseason top-10 pick.
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Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player currently in his senior (final) season at Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
. A 6'7" (2.01 m) swingman
Swingman
A Swingman is a basketball term denoting a player who can play both the small forward and shooting guard positions, and, in essence, swing between the shooting guard and small forward positions." Swingmen males are often between 6'5" and 6'8" .John Havlicek, who played for the Boston Celtics in...
, he was rated by the NBA Draft projection site DraftExpress.com in August 2011 as the top rising senior in college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
and a late first-round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. Taylor is also one of three Vanderbilt players named by Basketball Prospectus as among the top 20 in men's college basketball in the 2011–12 season.
Life in Sweden
Taylor is the second-oldest of the six children of Jeff TaylorJeff Taylor (basketball)
Jeff Taylor is a retired American professional basketball player who played for three years at Texas Tech University, before being drafted by the Houston Rockets in the 1982 NBA Draft...
, who briefly played in the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
before playing in Sweden, where he has lived ever since. While the younger Taylor is a citizen of both Sweden and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by birth, and has lived in the U.S. since 2006, he has said, "...if someone asks where I'm from, I say Sweden." However, he grew up steeped in the basketball culture of Hobbs, New Mexico
Hobbs, New Mexico
Hobbs is a city in Lea County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 28,657 at the 2000 census.Hobbs is the principal city of the Hobbs, New Mexico Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Lea County.-Geography:...
, where his father was a high school star in the late 1970s:
From Sweden to America
Taylor left Sweden for Hobbs in 2006, moving in with his grandmother. Besides his desire to play at his father's alma mater, he determined that playing high school basketball in America would enhance his college basketball prospects.He quickly drew major interest from NCAA Division I programs, especially after a senior season when he averaged more than 30 points while leading Hobbs to a state title.
Taylor, named one of the top 150 recruits in the country by ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, considered about a half-dozen schools before narrowing his choices to Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball
The Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team represents Vanderbilt University in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference . The Commodores have won three SEC regular season titles . They have competed in ten NCAA Tournaments, making it to the Elite Eight once and the Sweet 16 six times...
and Texas
Texas Longhorns men's basketball
The Texas Longhorns men's basketball team represents The University of Texas at Austin in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. The Longhorns currently compete in the Big 12 Conference....
, eventually choosing Vanderbilt. He was one of three top-150 recruits signed by Commodores head coach Kevin Stallings
Kevin Stallings
Kevin Stallings is currently in his 11th season as the head men’s basketball coach at Vanderbilt University. Previously, he served as head coach at Illinois State University and was an assistant coach at Purdue University and the University of Kansas.-High school & college:Stallings was born in...
in 2008.
College career
After Taylor's freshman season of 2008–092008–09 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team represented Vanderbilt University in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's college basketball season. The team competed in the East Division of the Southeastern Conference and finished with an overall record of 19–12...
, DraftExpress.com said, "One of the most pleasant surprises in last season’s mediocre SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
[Southeastern Conference] was the emergence of Vanderbilt freshman Jeff Taylor." He averaged 12.2 points and 6.2 rebounds on his way to SEC All-Freshman honors. However, he showed one weakness in an otherwise solid season by shooting only 22 percent from three-point range
Three-point field goal
A three-point field goal is a field goal in a basketball game, made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc radiating from the basket...
.
His sophomore season
2009–10 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team
The 2009–10 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team represented Vanderbilt University in the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's college basketball season. The team competed in the East Division of the Southeastern Conference, as it has since the SEC expanded to 12 schools in 1991...
saw some progress, but also some cause for concern; one scout said near the end of the season, "while he is improved in many areas, he has regressed in some as well." Taylor improved his scoring average to 13.3 per game, but his rebounding dropped slightly to 5.2 per game. The most obvious issue was his perimeter shooting, which saw a decline; he attempted only 11 three-pointers and made only one. Nonetheless, he was named to the All-SEC second team by the league's coaches, and was also named to the SEC All-Defensive Team.
In 2010–11
2010–11 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team
The 2010–2011 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team represented Vanderbilt University during the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Commodores, led by twelfth year head coach Kevin Stallings, played their home games at the Memorial Gymnasium and are members of the...
, he further established his reputation as a defensive stopper, frequently being called on to defend every position on the floor except center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
while again being named to the SEC All-Defensive Team. Taylor also improved his three-point shooting to a more respectable 34.5% while attempting more than twice as many shots from behind the arc as in his first two seasons combined. Averaging 14.7 points and 5.5 rebounds, he was again named second-team All-SEC.
Taylor was widely viewed as a potential early entry into the 2011 NBA Draft
2011 NBA Draft
The 2011 NBA Draft was held on June 23, 2011 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball...
, based mainly on his athleticism and defensive skills. However, he decided to stay at Venderbilt for his senior season in 2011–12
2011–12 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team
-2011–12 outlook:In a major offseason development, three of the Commodores' most important players—Festus Ezeli, John Jenkins, and Jeffery Taylor—all spurned the NBA Draft and announced they would return for the 2011–12 season. Jenkins, the SEC's leading scorer in 2010–11 at 19.5 points per game,...
. His decision to return, along with those of fellow stars John Jenkins
John Jenkins (basketball)
John Logan Jenkins , is an American college basketball player at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. He is a 6-foot-4, 215-pound shooting guard. He was a two-time TSSAA Class AA Mr. Basketball selection, and was the Gatorade Tennessee High School Player of the Year in 2008-09...
and Festus Ezeli
Festus Ezeli
Festus Ezeli, in full Ifeanyi Festus Ezeli-Ndelue , is a Nigerian basketball player preparing to begin his senior season at Vanderbilt University...
, made the Commodores a likely preseason top-10 pick.
Statistics
| Jeffery Taylor Statistics at Vanderbilt University | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Year | G | FG | FGA | PCT | 3FG | 3FGA | PCT | FT | FTA | PCT | REB | AVG | A | TO | B | S | MIN | AVG | PTS | AVG |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008-09 | 31 | 136 | 271 | .502 | 9 | 41 | .220 | 96 | 139 | .691 | 192 | 6.2 | 53 | 69 | 12 | 29 | 805 | 26.0 | 377 | 12.2 | |
| 2009-10 | 33 | 148 | 300 | .493 | 1 | 11 | .091 | 141 | 189 | .746 | 172 | 5.2 | 57 | 74 | 13 | 36 | 883 | 26.8 | 438 | 13.3 | |
| 2010-11 | 34 | 171 | 381 | .449 | 39 | 113 | .345 | 120 | 167 | .719 | 188 | 5.5 | 80 | 87 | 19 | 35 | 1078 | 31.7 | 501 | 14.7 | |
| Totals | 98 | 455 | 952 | .478 | 49 | 165 | .297 | 357 | 495 | .721 | 552 | 5.6 | 190 | 230 | 44 | 100 | 2766 | 28.2 | 1316 | 13.4 | |
External links
- Jeffery Taylor at Vanderbilt UniversityVanderbilt Commodores men's basketballThe Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team represents Vanderbilt University in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference . The Commodores have won three SEC regular season titles . They have competed in ten NCAA Tournaments, making it to the Elite Eight once and the Sweet 16 six times...