Jack Taylor (basketball)

Jack Taylor (born October 12, 1990) is an American former college basketball player at Grinnell College. He holds the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) record for most points in a single game after scoring 138 in 2012. He also scored the NCAA's third-highest total of 109 in 2013.

Jack Taylor
Personal information
Born (1990-10-12) October 12, 1990
Lakeside, California
NationalityAmerican
Listed height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Listed weight165 lb (75 kg)
Career information
High schoolBlack River Falls
(Black River Falls, Wisconsin)
Mercersburg Academy
(Mercersburg, Pennsylvania)
CollegeWisconsin–La Crosse (2011–2012)
Grinnell (2012–2015)
NBA draft2015 / Undrafted
PositionGuard
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-Midwest Conference (2015)
  • Second-team All-Midwest Conference (2014)
  • NCAA record for most points in a game (138)

Taylor played four years of basketball at Black River Falls High School in Wisconsin, where he was an All-State player and was the second-leading scorer in the school's history. He then attended boarding school at Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania, where he suffered a major knee injury. After recovering, he played one season at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse. He transferred to Grinnell to play in their high-scoring system. After his record-setting performance, his 2012–13 season ended prematurely after he broke his arm. He recovered to become a two-time All-Midwest Region selection over the next two seasons.

Early life

Taylor was born in San Diego County, California in the city of Lakeside.[1] His favorite player growing up was National Basketball Association (NBA) star Kobe Bryant;[2] Taylor emulated Bryant's footwork while using chairs to act as defenders. His aunt, Pixar film producer Darla K. Anderson, often paid for him to attend basketball camps at upper-tier colleges like Duke and Stanford, where he faced tough competition.[3]

Taylor attended Black River Falls High School in Black River Falls, Wisconsin and lettered in basketball for four years.[1][4] In his senior year in 2008–09, he averaged 20.4 points and 4.7 assists per game and shot 42.3 percent on three-point field goals.[5] He was Coulee Conference Player of the Year, first-team All-Conference, WBCA Division 2 first-team All-State, and AP honorable mention all-state.[1] He finished his career as the second-leading scorer in school history with 1,295 points, averaging 20.7 points per game.[4][6] He received interest from NCAA Division I Columbia, Division II Augustana, and Division III Grinnell.[3][4][7]

Unable to secure a Division I athletic scholarship, he attended Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania after graduating from high school.[4][8] Mercersburg, a boarding school that offered college-level courses, played in a league that produced Division I players.[8] Taylor was averaging around 14 points and seven assists in nine games at Mercersburg before tearing the anterior cruciate ligament and lateral meniscus in his left knee in January 2010. He missed the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery.[5][9] In April, he committed to playing at Division III University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, again turning down Grinnell.[3][5]

College career

Taylor sat out his first season at UW–La Crosse as he recovered from his knee injury.[10] In his freshman season in 2011–12, he averaged 7.0 points in 13.4 minutes in 27 games as a reserve. He made 39.4 percent of his three-pointers.[11] However, Taylor stopped enjoying basketball, and he loathed practice.[3] After one season at UW-La Crosse, Taylor transferred to Division III Grinnell. The school employed a unique offensive style—known as the Grinnell System—that relied on shooting as many three-pointers as possible; Taylor thought it fit his playing style.[4] Grinnell had led all levels of NCAA in scoring for 17 of the past 19 seasons, and their 126.2 points per game in 2003–04 ranked second in history.[12]

In his first season at Grinnell, the team won their first two games with Taylor leading the team in scoring averaging 23.5 points in 13.5 minutes; however, he was only shooting 17.6 percent on three-pointers (6 of 34) and 26.8 percent overall (11 of 41).[4][6][13] Although Grinnell players rarely played more than 20 minutes a game,[14][15] Grinnell coach David Arseneault Jr. intended to give him extended playing time the following game to have him work out of his slump before the start of their conference schedule.[4][12] On November 20, 2012, in a 179–104 win over National Christian College Athletic Association-member Faith Baptist Bible College, Taylor scored 138 points, setting the NCAA record for most points by an individual player in a game.[15][16] He played 36 minutes and shot 52-of-108 from the field, 27-of-71 from 3-point range, and 7-of-10 from the free throw line.[17] The 108 attempts were an average of three shots per minute.[18] Taylor scored 58 points in the first half and 80 in the second; he was only 9 of 32 three-pointers in the first half before making 18 of 39 three-pointers in the second half, including seven consecutive in 1 minute 57 seconds.[6] During one stretch, he scored a Division III-record 28 consecutive points.[12] He also set NCAA single-game records for most three-point field goals, three-point field goals attempted, field goals, and field goals attempted. His 80 points in a half were also a record.[19]

Arseneault said the team "left open the possibility [for Taylor setting a record] if he got to off to a great start."[20] Occasionally, Grinnell designated a game for pursuing a record.[3][21] At halftime, Taylor thought he only had 30 points, not the actual 58.[20] His previous career high was 48, set in high school.[12] He reached 91 points on a 25-footer from the left wing with 11:14 remaining, breaking the Division III record set by Grinnell teammate Griffin Lentsch in the previous season.[lower-alpha 1][16][22] Less than three minutes later, he scored 100 on a layup. With 4:42 left in the game, he hit a three-pointer to pass the NCAA record of 113 set by Bevo Francis of Division II Rio Grande College in 1954.[lower-alpha 2][16] Taylor did not leave the game until the closing moments with Grinnell up by 70. Arseneault considered taking him out earlier, but he did not feel right taking out Taylor after his consecutive three-pointer streak.[12][16] Taylor was the third player to score one hundred or more points in an NCAA game, joining Francis and Frank Selvy.[24] He was also the first college or pro player to surpass the high school record of 135 set by Danny Heater in 1960.[25]

National Basketball Association (NBA) players, including Bryant and LeBron James, expressed amazement at Taylor's 138 points. Players mentioned him on Twitter, and his name was a trending topic.[26][27] Highlights of Taylor were shown on almost every major channel, and newspapers nationwide covered the story.[28] He talked to ESPN,[29] and appeared as a guest the following day on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!.[12][30] Grinnell received over 300 e-mail requests for interviews with Taylor, including one from Australia.[12] Pizza Hut sold pizzas at $1.38 to commemorate the record.[29]

In his following game against William Penn, ESPN and The Boston Globe were among at least five different media outlets covering Taylor's follow-up performance.[30] He scored 21 points on 6-for-21 shooting in a 131–116 loss.[23] He was later named the Midwest Conference Performer of the Week.[31][32] Taylor's 2012–13 season ended prematurely on January 9, 2013 when he broke the radius of his shooting arm during a 119–117 win over rival Cornell. This injury cost him the rest of the season. At the time of his injury, he was averaging 36.3 points.[33]

Taylor returned for the 2013–14 season healthy and with aspirations of leading the nation in scoring.[34] Arseneault stated that Taylor "has earned the right to have the ball in his hands even more than last year."[35] On November 15, 2013, in Grinnell's season-opening game, Taylor scored 71 points on 23-of-52 shooting in a 144–99 win against Finlandia University.[36] The following game against Crossroads College, he surpassed the 100-point mark again with 109, including 53 in the first nine minutes of the second half of the 173–123 win. Overall, he played 29 minutes while shooting 35 of 70 from the field, 24-for-48 on three-pointers, and making 15 of 17 free throws.[37] He exited the game with 5:32 remaining holding the third-highest single-game point total in NCAA history, behind his own NCAA record and Francis's 113.[38][39] He was the first college player to twice score over 100 against a four-year college.[3] In his next game, which was also the one-year anniversary of his record 138-point game, Taylor was double- and sometimes triple-teamed by Wartburg College and scored just three points in 19 minutes in an 88–79 win.[21][40] He finished the season as the nation's leader in points per game (28.8) and three-pointers per game (5.38). He was named to the All-Midwest Conference Second Team, and D3hoops.com named him to their All-Midwest Region Third Team.[41][42]

In Taylor's senior year, he scored 52 points in a 118–109 loss to Beloit College on November 22, 2014.[43] He again led the nation in scoring (28.4) and three-pointers (5.04), and was second in free throws made (185). He was a first-team All-Midwest Conference selection, was voted to the All-Central Region Second Team.[44]

Professional career

After graduating from Grinnell, Taylor signed with the Scorers 1st Sportsmanagement agency. He went undrafted in 2015 NBA draft. In July 2015, he was one of 60 players accepted to participate in the agency's two-day showcase in Las Vegas that was attended by international scouts, mostly from European leagues.[45] In 2016, Taylor stated that he was no longer interested in either playing or watching basketball.[46]

NCAA records
  • Most points, game (138)
  • Most points, half (80)
  • Most field goals, game (52)
  • Most field goals attempted, game (108)
  • Most three-point field goals, game (27)
  • Most three-point field goals attempted, game (71)

Personal life

Taylor became engaged to high school sweetheart Christina Teeples in August 2013,[2][3] and the two married in the summer of 2014.[47] Teeples also played basketball at Black River Falls High.[2] They had a daughter, Abigail, in 2016.[46]

Taylor became a videographer, and founded his company Taylor Media in Black River Falls. He also began a podcast with some of the town's residents.[48]

gollark: I'd buy coppers, but they're too expensive.
gollark: That'd explain it, maybe... but would it not have occured *during* Halloween?
gollark: e.g. TJ09 may somehow have managed to do this completely by accident, which would be impressive.
gollark: Or something else.
gollark: Either it's some weird yearly rollover or holidays being Weird™.

See also

Notes
  1. Lentch scored 89 against Principia College on November 19, 2011.[16] He broke the Division III record of another Grinnell player, Jeff Clement, who scored 77 in 1998.[14]
  2. Francis scored 113 in a 134–91 win over Hillsdale College.[23] Rio Grande College later became a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) school.

References
  1. "Grinnell College Athletics – 2012–13 Men's Basketball Roster". Pioneers.grinnell.edu. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  2. Casper Jr., John (December 24, 2013). "Tribune Sportsperson of the Year: Sharp-shooter Jack Taylor shines under harsh light of fame". La Crosse Tribune. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014.
  3. Prisbell, Eric (December 24, 2013). "Once lost in pursuit of points, Grinnell's Jack Taylor finds contentment". USA Today. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014.
  4. Casper, John (November 27, 2012). "Wisconsin native Taylor sets NCAA scoring record with 138 points in a game". The Chippewa Herald. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012.
  5. "Taylor to play for Eagles". La Crosse Tribune. April 15, 2010. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012.
  6. Potrykus, Jeff (November 21, 2012). "Taylor's 138-point feat draws high praise, critics". Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012.
  7. Martin, Daniel (November 21, 2012). "Grinnell College's Jack Taylor tells CBT his 138-point game now seems like 'a blur'". collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012.
  8. Sommerfeldt, Todd (May 12, 2009). "5/12 Notebook: BRF's Taylor to attend Pennsylvania prep school". La Crosse Tribune. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012.
  9. Sommerfeldt, Todd (February 3, 2010). "Injury hinders Taylor's progress". La Crosse Tribune. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012.
  10. "UW-La Crosse Men's Basketball Preview". La Crosse Tribune. November 13, 2011. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012.
  11. "News in Brief". La Crosse Tribune. July 18, 2012. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012.
  12. Schonbrun, Zach (November 21, 2012). "138 Points, 108 Shots and a Debate About a Record". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012.
  13. Eisenberg, Jeff (November 20, 2012). "Grinnell College guard shatters scoring record with 138 points in a game". yahoo.com. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  14. Howard, Johnette (November 25, 2011). "89 points?! Griffin Lentsch books 'em". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012.
  15. Doxsie, Don (December 1, 2012). "Viewpoint: Trivial tidbits from Taylor's 138-point effort". Quad-City Times. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012.
  16. "Grinnell star the toast of college basketball". Telegraph Herald. Associated Press. November 22, 2012. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012.
  17. Birch, Tommy (November 21, 2012). "Grinnell College's Jack Taylor scores NCAA record 138 points". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012.
  18. "How Grinnell College player set NCAA scoring record, 138 points in a game (+video)". CSMonitor.com. April 23, 2012. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  19. "Taylor crushes NCAA single-game scoring record by 25 points". ncaa.org. Associated Press. November 21, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  20. Hart, Jay (November 21, 2012). "The system behind Jack Taylor's historic 138-point game for Grinnell". yahoo.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012.
  21. Reilly, Rick (November 21, 2013). "Not always Taylor-made". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on November 22, 2013.
  22. Pelton, Kevin (November 21, 2012). "As Sweet by Any Speed". basketballprospectus.com. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012.
  23. "Bevo will always be the best in our record book". U-T San Diego. November 25, 2012. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  24. "Jack Taylor wowed LeBron, Kobe". ESPN.com. November 21, 2012. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012.
  25. Allen, Scott. "Jack Taylor's big night tops 52-year-old high school record". usatodayhss.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012.
  26. Laird, Sam (November 21, 2012). "Jack Taylor's Insane 138-point Game: Everything You Need to Know". mashable.com. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012.
  27. Gleeson, Scott; Joseph, Adi (November 21, 2012). "LeBron James compares Jack Taylor's 138-point game to Kobe, Wilt". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012.
  28. Brown, Terrell (November 26, 2012). "Jack Taylor's 138-point record game a stunt?". cbsnews.com. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012.
  29. Bonner, Michael (November 26, 2012). "Jack Taylor's Is Back To 'Normal Life' After Setting Record". kcrg.com. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012.
  30. Birch, Tommy (November 25, 2012). "Grinnell returns to court, and Taylor scores 21". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 28, 2012.
  31. "MWC Men's Basketball" (PDF) (Press release). Midwest Conference. November 26, 2012. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 27, 2012.
  32. "Afternoon State Sports Briefs: Brewers make front office moves". Pierce County Herald. November 27, 2012. Archived from the original on November 28, 2012.
  33. "Jack Taylor (wrist) out for season". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 10, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
  34. "Grinnell's Mr. 138 Is Going for Even Bigger Goals". The New York Times. Associated Press. November 9, 2013. Archived from the original on November 18, 2013. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  35. Schultz, Ted (November 14, 2013). "Pioneer men's basketball team seeks another big season". grinnell.edu. Archived from the original on November 18, 2013.
  36. "Jack Taylor scores 71 in opener". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. November 16, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  37. "Jack Taylor tops 100 points again". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 17, 2013. Archived from the original on November 18, 2013.
  38. Birch, Tommy (November 17, 2013). "Jack Taylor scores 109 points for Grinnell". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 18, 2013.
  39. Matuszewski, Eric (November 17, 2013). "Grinnell's Jack Taylor Tops 100 Points in Game for Second Time". bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on November 18, 2013.
  40. "Thomas helps Iowa State down BYU". LaCrosse Tribune. November 20, 2013. Archived from the original on November 21, 2013.
  41. "GRINNELL'S TAYLOR NAMED TO D3HOOPS.COM ALL-MIDWEST REGION TEAM". oskynews.org. March 28, 2014. Archived from the original on April 25, 2014.
  42. "2013-14 Men's Basketball All-Conference". Midwest Conference. Archived from the original on November 21, 2014.
  43. Franz, Jim (November 24, 2014). "Bucs outlast Grinnell". Beloit Daily News. Archived from the original on December 3, 2014.
  44. Dickman, Chance (March 16, 2015). "Grinnell's Taylor named to D3hoops.com All-Central Region Team". weau.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2015.
  45. Sommerfeldt, Todd (July 14, 2015). "Taylor's 'crazy career' could lead to professional basketball". La Crosse Tribune. Archived from the original on July 16, 2015.
  46. Kessler, Martin (December 24, 2016). "Four Years After Scoring 138 Points, Jack Taylor Says, 'Basketball Let Me Down'". WBUR. Archived from the original on January 2, 2017.
  47. Kim, David (November 14, 2014). "Jack Taylor looks beyond basketball". Scarlett & Black. Archived from the original on November 21, 2014.
  48. Gardner, Hayes (March 13, 2019). "Jack Taylor once scored 138 points in a game. Now he's trying to help save his hometown". The Athletic. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
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