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TheProfessor
04-30-2009, 11:24 AM
Jermaine Taylor

http://www.nbadraft.net/files/players/jermaine-taylor-hd_0.jpeg

Position: SG
Height: 6' 4"
Weight: 210 lbs
Birthday: 12/08/1986
(22 Years Old)

DraftExpress (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Jermaine-Taylor-5670/)
nbadraft.net (http://www.nbadraft.net/players/jermaine-taylor)
ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=26812)

Bruno
05-14-2009, 12:54 PM
http://hoopshype.com/workouts.htm

Taylor will work out for Spurs this Saturday.

benefactor
05-14-2009, 01:23 PM
http://hoopshype.com/workouts.htm

Taylor will work out for Spurs this Saturday.
:tu

He seems to have the offensive tools that would work well within our system but his lack of commitment to defense makes me skeptical if he will fit. In limited minutes he could wind up a decent athletic, instant offense guy off the bench.

Rynospursfan
05-16-2009, 07:24 AM
Taylor sounds like a young Finley. Maybe if Finley walks this is someone we can look at for his role. He has a 6'8" wing span so I don't know how difficult it would to be to instill some D into this kid. He put up some nice scoring numbers, as a Senior and many of those possessions were against double teams. At one point in this last season he was third in the nation in scoring. Looks like he just needs to work on getting better handles with his left hand and recognizing trouble and passing out of it. He didn't have a lot of help at Central Florida University. He will be surrounded by better players at the next level, reguardless of where that is, hopefully the reduced presure will lead to less turnovers and more assists. He played very well at the Portsmouth invitational and his sock has risen since. Seems like if this guy was 3 inches taller he would be a top ten pick.

He also has the same agent as George Hill :jam2:

http://www.clubspurs.com/post64917.html#p64917

duncan228
05-18-2009, 12:37 PM
Taylor: More work ahead after busy week (http://collegebasketball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=946770)
Steve Megargee
Rivals.com College Basketball Staff Writer

University of Central Florida guard Jermaine Taylor was the third-leading scorer in the nation last season. Though he didn't play in a "major" conference, many believe Taylor has good chance to be selected in the first round of this year's NBA draft. This is the latest edition of a draft diary that will run periodically as he readies to begin his pro career.

Jermaine Taylor suddenly finds himself traveling as much as he ever did during his senior season at UCF.

The 6-foot-4 guard had workouts with the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, Houston Rockets on Friday and San Antonio Spurs on Saturday. He then got back on an airplane Sunday to get ready for three more team workouts this week.

Even before the start of the week, Taylor worked out with the Oklahoma City Thunder in an hourlong workout that included one-on-one, two-on-two and three-on-three drills. Taylor said the three workouts this week had similar formats.

"They're all kind of the same. San Antonio was a little bit easier with more shooting, but they're all the same thing – three-on-three, one-on-one and some of the same drills. I kind of knew what to expect. I knew there was going to be a lot of one-on-one and two-on-two. I felt real comfortable. I felt even more comfortable than I did the first time [at Oklahoma City] just because I knew what to expect."

Taylor said he received positive feedback from each of the teams that saw him work out.

"My agent [Michael Whitaker] was telling me all the teams have nothing but good things to say about me. You just have to wait [to get feedback] after the workout. by what they're telling my agent and the way they interact with me, if they're talking a lot and trying to learn more about my life."

[I]Taylor, who averaged 26.2 points as a senior to rank third in the nation, concentrated on improving his defense as he prepared for the workouts. He believes that focus helped him out this week.

"It's paying off a little bit. Positioning is what I need to work on. I think it's working out really well for me. Players aren't blowing by me. I'm able to stay in front of my man and contest their shots. When they do get by me, I'm able to hunt them down and affect a few of their shots and not let them get an easy layup."

Taylor's busy schedule didn't give him much time to recover from a minor injury he suffered in Oklahoma City.

"It's fun, but it's also tiring. At Oklahoma, I tweaked what I thought was my groin, but it actually was a hip flexor. Because all my workouts are back-to-back, I haven't had time to rest it. It was bothering me a little bit. After these next workouts, I'm going to have to calm down a little bit and give it time to heal."

Taylor's workout schedule did give him an early taste of the NBA experience that awaits him. He was in Houston when the Rockets were hosting the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6 of the NBA playoffs, though he didn't arrive in town early enough to attend the game. He also got to meet a few notable NBA players.

"It's been fun seeing teams' facilities and comparing them to each other. At Houston, some of their players were watching the workout. I saw Yao Ming, I saw [Aaron] Brooks and [Joey] Dorsey and some of their other players. At San Antonio, in the airport, I was on the same flight with Tim Duncan. He was right across the aisle from me. It's been real fun. I didn't really talk to them. I just introduced myself and said hello. We didn't really have conversations.

"I was in town [for Game 6], but I didn't get to go. The game was in the second or third quarter when I got into town. Everyone was excited. I was at the Four Seasons – a real nice hotel – and a lot of people were down in the lobby, watching the game and cheering on Houston. It was fun. You could definitely tell there was a playoff atmosphere."

Taylor believes his workout performances have boosted his stock. Most mock drafts have Taylor as an early second-round pick.

"I think I've helped [myself]. Some of the teams are telling me that the workouts are probably like 10 percent of what they're really evaluating me on. They've seen me play all season, and there's no way they can really choose whether to pick me or not based on watching me for only an hour, when they've [already] been watching me for two seasons. [The workouts] are about an hour long, except for Houston. Houston was two hours long."

Taylor has three more workouts this week before spending some time with his family on Memorial Day weekend. Taylor's pre-draft schedule has prevented him from seeing his family as much as he would like.

"It's been a while. I'm excited to see my mom and some of my other family members. I'll call my mom and talk to my mom every day to let her know what I'm doing and where I am. I talk to my cousins the most. They're really big basketball fans and play themselves. They want to know how the workouts are going. After every workout, I'll talk to my cousins and to former teammates to let them know how everything is."

Taylor also spoke recently with San Antonio Spurs guard George Hill, a first-round pick last year from IUPUI. Hill and Taylor share the same agent.

"I talked to him on the phone when I was in Washington. He told me about the Houston workout and the San Antonio workout. It helped me out a lot because I knew what to expect going into the workouts. He told me just to go out there and be comfortable, play my game, be natural and everything else will come naturally. [He said], 'Don't hold anything back. You're playing to make an NBA team, so you have to go out there and play that way – as hard as you can and don't leave anything out. Give it all you've got.' "

duncan228
05-29-2009, 03:27 PM
UCF’s Jermaine Taylor listed as one of the strongest guards at the NBA Combine (http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_college_ucf/2009/05/ucfs-jermaine-taylor-listed-as-one-of-the-strongest-guards-at-the-nba-combine.html)
by Iliana Limón

Former UCF star Jermaine Taylor is participating in the NBA Draft Combine being held this week in Chicago. Here's a look at the latest combine reports:

-- Jonathan Givony, president and director of scouting for DraftExpress, wrote this recap of day one workouts for NBA.com (http://www.nba.com/2009/news/05/28/combine.dayone/). He praised Taylor's athleticism. Givony wrote, "The group of wing players appeared to be fairly weak, with most of the prospects looking extremely limited in one or two key areas. Gerald Henderson confirmed that he's one of the most athletic players in this Draft, with Jermaine Taylor not too far behind."

-- NBADraft.net provides a breakdown (http://www.nbadraft.net/node/6101) of every player going through drills. @UCFBiggie pointed out Taylor was on NBA TV yesterday doing individual shooting drills. From what I saw, NBADraft.net's report is pretty accurate and Taylor dribbled well but did not shoot well. I actually think it's better that he showed strong dribbling skills. Everyone knows he can score at this point and he was just a little off during the combine, but his dribbling skills have never really been described as strong or great.

-- The New Jersey Nets are spending half an hour talking (http://www.nj.com/nets/index.ssf/2009/05/nj_nets_a_call_from_chicago.html) with every player at the combine and Taylor was among the first 13 they have interviewed.

-- DraftExpress also has an extensive bio (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Jermaine-Taylor-5670/) of Taylor and a database listing all of his team workouts (http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-draft-workouts.php?year=2009&sort=0&pid=5670&tid=0). The Web site reports he completed workouts with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. He has post-combine workouts scheduled with the Los Angeles Lakers, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Sacramento Kings, Portland Trailblazers, Philadelphia 76ers and the Memphis Grizzlies.

-- DraftExpress just posted combine measurements (http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Measurements-released-3236/) that were released by the NBA. Taylor is 6-foot-3½ without shoes and 6-foot-4¾ with shoes. He weighs 207 pounds. He has a wingspan of 6-foot-8¾, which he has been repeatedly told throughout the draft process is impressive. He has a reach of 8-foot-5, which also is impressive for a shooting guard.

-- DraftExpress' Givony also has blog updates from Chicago. He notes a lot of team officials are not happy (http://www.draftexpress.com/blog/Jonathan-Givony/) with the new combine format, which doesn't give them the same opportunity they had last year during scrimmages to evaluate talent. He also reports Memphis freshman Tyreke Evans signed with Arn Tellem and Bob Myers of Wasserman Media Group, officially marking the end of his career with the Tigers. The first decision his agents made was to pull him from individual drills, one of the moves that has been infuriating team officials but still shouldn't impact his draft position.

Yogurt210
06-01-2009, 05:52 PM
I think we are going to draft him

duncan228
06-13-2009, 02:02 PM
Person of interest: Jermaine Taylor (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/2009/06/person-of-inter-3.html#more)
By Jeff McDonald

We continue our look at draft prospects the Spurs have auditioned with a glance at Central Florida's Jermaine Taylor.

As we have noted before, one of the Spurs' priorities for this offseason is to get younger and more athletic on the wing -- particularly at small forward, but also at shooting guard. Taylor, a 22-year-old, 6-foot-4 scorer, would help there.

Taylor was a breakout star at the Portsmouth pre-draft camp in April, and worked out for the Spurs in May. Possessing a heaping helping of athleticism, a precocious slashing ability and a decent-enough jump shot, Taylor is a scorer's scorer. The MVP of Conference USA last season, Taylor averaged better than 26 points as a senior at UCF, the third-best scoring average in the nation.

Taylor can be a defensive liability, which certainly doesn't help his stock with the Spurs. And he will have to work to develop NBA 3-point range.

Still, Taylor has had an impressive set of workouts over the past several weeks, and there is talk he could jump into the bottom of the first round. If that's the case, the Spurs would have to trade up to get him, if they want him.

benefactor
06-13-2009, 02:28 PM
Both DX and nbadraft.net both have him going before he gets to us. I don't know if I would have wanted him at 37 anyway after looking at a month of other prospects that seem like they would fit better. He's a heck of an athlete, but so is James White(!).

NewJerSpur
06-14-2009, 02:09 AM
Well, if he can play basketball as good as he can box....

Blackjack
06-20-2009, 12:09 AM
College, NBA, NBA Draft / Jun 19, 2009 / 12:13 pm

Pick Me: Jermaine Taylor’s NBA Draft Blog

By Jermaine Taylor

It’s been a minute since we heard from Jermaine Taylor on his path to the NBA Draft, but that’s not because he’s been sleeping. JT has been all over the country working out for teams and improving his draft stock before next Thursday. Take a minute and read about what the reigning Conference USA Player of the Year has been up to…

***

Right now I’m in Portland and just got done with my workout a little bit ago. If you ask me, it went really well although I tweaked my ankle a little bit. Nonetheless, I feel pretty good. I was working out with Marcus Thornton (LSU), Garrett Temple (LSU), Terrel Harris (Oklahoma State), Joe Ingles (Australia) and Jonas Jerebko (Sweden). From Portland, I’m headed to Sacramento.

My best workout so far has to be either Boston or Houston, but I can’t really decide which was better. I just felt good going into it, like I was really playing my game. I shot the ball well, scored and defended.

It’s funny, because I didn’t think my New Jersey workout was my best, but 23 teams were there and apparently a lot of teams were real impressed cause after that more teams setup workouts. Throughout this whole process, nothing has really surprised me at all. Everything is kind of what I expected.

A typical day for me looks like this: Today, I woke up about 7:30 AM, had breakfast and they had someone come pick me up. I went to the arena, got dressed, stretched and then took some shots on the court before the workout started. After that, I hit the showers, get treatment, eat and then it’s off to the airport. Everywhere I’ve gone, they put us in the best hotels with big suites. This life is something I could get used to.

After Sacramento, I’m headed back home to Orlando for a day and then headed to Charlotte. Straight from there, it’s Atlanta and then come back and hang in Orlando for a few hours, then off to L.A.

When I’m not in the gym, which is all the time, I’m hanging out with my friends and teammates from past seasons. They’re all in town working out and playing in the summer league at UCF. I’ve been to the movies maybe once, but other than that, it’s all basketball, getting treatment and making sure my body’s right for my next workout.

I’ve been working out, but not with weights. I have a kettlebell in my room which my trainer has me use to strengthen up my core. I’ve really just been in the gym with lots of shooting and cardio to stay in shape.

The NBA Draft Combine was a real good experience. It let me see where I matchup with other players and gave me a chance to meet these other guys like Blake, Steph and T-Will.

I was real impressed with Blake’s personality being that he’s gonna be the No. 1 pick in the Draft. He’s very humble, not arrogant at all. Some guys, they tend to be a little arrogant and rub you the wrong way, but me and him exchanged numbers up there. I see myself hanging out with him once we get to the League.

Next week, I’m just going to be getting ready for the Draft at my mom’s house. I don’t want to do anything too big – just hang with family and friends that want to watch with me. Can’t wait.


http://dimemag.com/2009/06/pick-me-jermaine-taylor%e2%80%99s-nba-draft-blog/#more-13165

Blackjack
06-21-2009, 02:28 AM
The Best Player You’ve Never Heard Of


By Charlie Bernstein
Editor-in-Chief


Quick trivia question: Who is the Conference USA all-time leading scorer who finished third in the entire nation in scoring last season? Chances are that if you don’t follow UCF sports closely, you’d have no idea that the answer is UCF guard Jermaine Taylor, the nation’s best kept secret.

Jermaine Taylor has one of the most well-rounded games in the entire country and he will put his talents on display for some lucky NBA team next season. Taylor can simply do everything on the basketball court. The 6’4” guard has a chiseled NBA body which can rise off the ground to the tune of a 39” vertical leap. Taylor has proven that he can score against a wide array of defenses while being the focal point of every opponent. His finely tuned mid-range game is reminiscent of former C-USA star Dwayne Wade, and the more open, one-on-one game of the NBA will only showcase his talents further.

“I think my game stacks up well against the best players in the nation,” says Taylor, who routinely faces small-school bias.

Whichever team that decides to write the former UCF star’s name on their draft card will likely not have to select in the top five, or even the end of the lottery. Taylor is so much of a secret that many project this supremely talented player to be an end of the first round guy.

“I’ve been hearing a lot of different stuff,” Taylor said when asked about where he thinks he’ll be selected. “I’ve heard second (round) a few times, I’ve heard late first a few times. I’m just trying to go to my workouts I have and try to play well and move up.”

Jermaine Taylor’s post-UCF career has been stellar thus far, as he shined against some of the best players in the country while winning MVP honors at the Portsmouth Invitational. Portsmouth featured some fine future NBA talent.

“Wes Matthews, Tyrese Wright, Antonio Anderson, Stefon Jackson, Robert Vaden, a lot of the top players in the country,” Taylor told Inside Knights when we asked about the talent he faced up in Portsmouth.

Being a “blue-chip” prospect, Taylor had many offers from many more established basketball programs coming out of high school, but he chose to stay close to his home in nearby Tavares, Florida, and it’s a decision that’s apparently worked out well for the all-time leading scorer in school history.

“I’m glad I came here,” Taylor said. “I love being a Knight and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Jermaine Taylor was the best player in the history of the UCF basketball program, and his talents and the prospect of him becoming an NBA star undoubtedly helped the Coach Kirk Speraw and the rest of the UCF program to acquire their best recruiting class in recent history which included Marcus Jordan, son of the Michael.

“I’m happy for UCF,” Taylor said in a recent interview. “Just for UCF to get a guy like that, it says that the program is on the rise. In a few years, I can see UCF as a big time school, just like Memphis.”

Taylor credits his collegiate coach for getting him ready to play at the next level.

“I think he’s (Coach Speraw) prepared me a lot for the next level. I think I’ve always had it, but he’s showed me how to use it. Taught me how to take my time, how to come off screens, how to be patient and let the game come to me.”

Taylor claims to have no fewer than 12 workouts set up for various NBA teams selecting in the first round, and we asked him what his future employer, whichever team that may be, will be getting when they select the former Knight.

“Someone who’s going to go out every day and give 100%. “I’m going to go out and play my game and have fun and play as hard as I can. I’d like to see myself get better through hard work.”

To give a brief message to the fans of some lucky NBA team, you may not know much about Jermaine Taylor now, and you’ll probably be asking yourself, ‘who?’ when your team selects him, but you’ll know plenty by the end of next year when Taylor is competing for NBA Rookie of the Year honors.

http://collegebasketballnews.scout.com/a.z?s=218&p=2&c=867535

I'm not sure if this guy's made it on to the payroll or if he's related to Jermaine, but "competing for NBA Rookie of the Year honors?" :wow

Sdayi135
06-21-2009, 04:09 AM
Well, if he can play basketball as good as he can box....

Given the way he boxed in last fight you probably wouldn't want him then

Blackjack
06-22-2009, 01:31 AM
Taylor: More Work Ahead After Busy Week

Steve Megargee
UCFSports.com


Jermaine Taylor suddenly finds himself traveling as much as he ever did during his senior season at UCF.

The 6-foot-4 guard had workouts with the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, Houston Rockets on Friday and San Antonio Spurs on Saturday. He then got back on an airplane Sunday to get ready for three more team workouts this week.

Jermaine Taylor believes his work to improve his defense is paying off.
Even before the start of the week, Taylor worked out with the Oklahoma City Thunder in an hourlong workout that included one-on-one, two-on-two and three-on-three drills. Taylor said the three workouts this week had similar formats.

"They're all kind of the same. San Antonio was a little bit easier with more shooting, but they're all the same thing ? three-on-three, one-on-one and some of the same drills. I kind of knew what to expect. I knew there was going to be a lot of one-on-one and two-on-two. I felt real comfortable. I felt even more comfortable than I did the first time [at Oklahoma City] just because I knew what to expect."

Taylor said he received positive feedback from each of the teams that saw him work out.

"My agent [Michael Whitaker] was telling me all the teams have nothing but good things to say about me. You just have to wait [to get feedback] after the workout. by what they're telling my agent and the way they interact with me, if they're talking a lot and trying to learn more about my life."

[I]Taylor, who averaged 26.2 points as a senior to rank third in the nation, concentrated on improving his defense as he prepared for the workouts. He believes that focus helped him out this week.

"It's paying off a little bit. Positioning is what I need to work on. I think it's working out really well for me. Players aren't blowing by me. I'm able to stay in front of my man and contest their shots. When they do get by me, I'm able to hunt them down and affect a few of their shots and not let them get an easy layup."

Taylor's busy schedule didn't give him much time to recover from a minor injury he suffered in Oklahoma City.

"It's fun, but it's also tiring. At Oklahoma, I tweaked what I thought was my groin, but it actually was a hip flexor. Because all my workouts are back-to-back, I haven't had time to rest it. It was bothering me a little bit. After these next workouts, I'm going to have to calm down a little bit and give it time to heal."

Taylor's workout schedule did give him an early taste of the NBA experience that awaits him. He was in Houston when the Rockets were hosting the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6 of the NBA playoffs, though he didn't arrive in town early enough to attend the game. He also got to meet a few notable NBA players.

"It's been fun seeing teams' facilities and comparing them to each other. At Houston, some of their players were watching the workout. I saw Yao Ming, I saw [Aaron] Brooks and [Joey] Dorsey and some of their other players. At San Antonio, in the airport, I was on the same flight with Tim Duncan. He was right across the aisle from me. It's been real fun. I didn't really talk to them. I just introduced myself and said hello. We didn't really have conversations.

Taylor believes he improved his stock during last week's workouts.
"I was in town [for Game 6], but I didn't get to go. The game was in the second or third quarter when I got into town. Everyone was excited. I was at the Four Seasons ? a real nice hotel ? and a lot of people were down in the lobby, watching the game and cheering on Houston. It was fun. You could definitely tell there was a playoff atmosphere."

Taylor believes his workout performances have boosted his stock. Most mock drafts have Taylor as an early second-round pick.

"I think I've helped [myself]. Some of the teams are telling me that the workouts are probably like 10 percent of what they're really evaluating me on. They've seen me play all season, and there's no way they can really choose whether to pick me or not based on watching me for only an hour, when they've [already] been watching me for two seasons. [The workouts] are about an hour long, except for Houston. Houston was two hours long."

Taylor has three more workouts this week before spending some time with his family on Memorial Day weekend. Taylor's pre-draft schedule has prevented him from seeing his family as much as he would like.

"It's been a while. I'm excited to see my mom and some of my other family members. I'll call my mom and talk to my mom every day to let her know what I'm doing and where I am. I talk to my cousins the most. They're really big basketball fans and play themselves. They want to know how the workouts are going. After every workout, I'll talk to my cousins and to former teammates to let them know how everything is."

Taylor also spoke recently with San Antonio Spurs guard George Hill, a first-round pick last year from IUPUI. Hill and Taylor share the same agent.

"I talked to him on the phone when I was in Washington. He told me about the Houston workout and the San Antonio workout. It helped me out a lot because I knew what to expect going into the workouts. He told me just to go out there and be comfortable, play my game, be natural and everything else will come naturally. [He said], 'Don't hold anything back. You're playing to make an NBA team, so you have to go out there and play that way ? as hard as you can and don't leave anything out. Give it all you've got.' "

http://www.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=947013

Reading Taylor's backstory actually reminded me of Hill (prolific scorer who decided to stay close to home instead of bolt for the bigger program) so to actually see that there's a link between the two was kind of ironic.

Something about this guy makes me think he might be pretty high on the Spurs' radar.

I know he doesn't really doesn't seem to fill a position of need or bring the size most of us would like to see at the wing, but the Spurs don't seem to take that into as much consideration as most of us do.

I could just see the Spurs (Pop) explaining the pick with something like: He's a basketball player. He's talented and can really play, and we really think can help us.(Oh, and I'm sure R.C. would bring up the word "value" in his comments a time or two.)

timvp
06-22-2009, 05:34 PM
37. San Antonio Spurs (via Golden State)

Jermaine Taylor | SG | Central Florida
Taylor isn't a household name, but the Spurs like it that way. He's a great athlete and was one of the best scorers in college basketball. Taylor is the type of sleeper pick who has become the hallmark of the franchise.

I don't like his height and his assist-to-turnover ratio is scary but I could imagine the Spurs picking him. Instead of looking in Europe for hidden talent, perhaps they've begun taking a close look at the smaller programs.

Spurtacus
06-22-2009, 07:31 PM
From ESPN:




Positives:

# Big-time scorer
# Excellent, NBA frame
# Strong
# Good athlete
# Good shooter, with NBA 3-point range
# Good rebounder for a guard
# Solid ball handler
# Solid midrange game

Negatives:

# Undersized for his position
# Lackluster defender
# Totally dominates the ball

Summary: Apr 14 Update: Of all the players at the PIT, Taylor was the only one with any real first-round buzz. He is an athletic scorer who excels as a shooter and can also slash to the basket. Some scouts have been trying to call him the next Rodney Stuckey or George Hill, but he isn't nearly the ball handler or playmaker that those guys are. What he has going for him is his NBA body, good athleticism and terrific jump shot. He dominated games in Portsmouth, but considering it was against NBDL talent, I'm not sure how far it will get him. Calling him a potential first-round pick is a bit of stretch, but Taylor should get lots of workouts with a chance to work his way up draft boards. Feb 27 Update: A sleeper to keep watch on as the draft camps begin, Taylor is averaging 26 points and shooting 40 percent from 3-point territory. He's undersized for his position and may be a small fish in a big pond, but the kid can score. The senior just dropped 45 points on Rice and is averaging 30 points in his past four games.