Huskers add juco guard Taylor
Nebraska added a new junior college transfer to its roster by signing Odessa (Texas) College guard Evan Taylor during his visit to Lincoln on Sunday.
If the news of Taylor’s addition seems like it came out of the blue, that’s because it pretty much did.
It was only about two weeks ago when the Cincinnati, Ohio, native got his first phone call from NU assistant coach Jim Molinari expressing interest in his services. After a few more calls and some conversations with head coach Tim Miles, Taylor agreed to come to Nebraska for a visit on Saturday and Sunday.
After touring the campus and facilities and getting to know the staff and the current Husker players, Taylor didn’t need any more time to know that he had found his new home for the next two seasons.
Taylor will be eligible to play immediately and will have three seasons to play two.
“It happened fast, but things came up and the opportunity was there,” Taylor told HuskerOnline.com. “I just want to take advantage of it and I'm grateful for the opportunity they’ve given me."
Taylor went to high school in Fairfax, Va., at Paul VI Academy and had been getting interest from college programs like West Virginia, South Carolina, Wake Forest and George Washington.
He ended up committing to Samford, where he went on to play 31 games as a true freshman and averaged 6.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.1 steals per game to earn a spot on the SoCon All-Freshman Team.
Taylor then decided to transfer to a junior college and wound up at Odessa, where he averaged 7.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game last season.
He had been getting other interest from the likes of Middle Tennessee State, Toledo, and Utah State, but he had his sights set on a bigger school and was prepared to play another year of juco if necessary. Then, he got his first call from Nebraska.
“There were some school that were interested but kind of faded away,” Taylor said. “Then things got quiet, but I just had to remain patient. I’m just grateful that Nebraska came along.”
Taylor certainly fills a hole in Nebraska’s lineup, especially following the transfer of senior guard Andrew White that left NU with two open scholarships for 2016-17. Add in the fact that Miami transfer James Palmer Jr. has to sit out next season, the Huskers had only 10 available scholarship players on their roster.
Taylor may not have put up the impressive scoring numbers as other recruits, but his versatility and love of playing defense should make him a valuable late addition for Miles and Co.
“They’re not asking me to come in and score 16 points a game, but they feel like I can help a lot and do a lot of the intangibles,” Taylor said. “I’m 6-foot-5, so obviously I’m a big guard. I’m more of a combo guard who can play either the one or the two or even the three. I’m really known for being great defensively. On offense, I’m a pretty good facilitator and a good mid-range shooter.
“Most importantly, I’m a winner. I do whatever it takes to win games and try to win championships.”
Taylor will return to Texas to quickly gather his belongings and then get right back on a plane to Lincoln, as the plan is to get him on campus by Tuesday or Wednesday for the start of the July summer session.
It’s been a wild past couple of weeks, but Taylor knows he’s found the ideal fit when all the dust settles.
“It’s a dream come true,” Taylor said. “I’m blessed and grateful. I’m going to make the best of it, I can tell you that.”