After having scored 180 points in his first two outings of the Division III college basketball season—including his second career game of over 100 points, Grinnell College guard Jack Taylor has people talking yet again.
In 2012, it was his 138-point game that turned heads and created a media swirl. Sunday, in a game against Crossroads College, Grinnell scored 109 points.
Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal took notice of Taylor’s recent outing, taking to Twitter Tuesday morning to ask fans if they think he can play with the big boys.
But can he make it to the NBA , what u think http://t.co/s53aoaTRyx
— SHAQ (@SHAQ) November 19, 2013
Responses to Taylor’s play have been mixed. CBS columnist Gregg Doyel paints the picture that Grinnell coach Dave Arseneault is enabling Taylor with a fast paced offense, press defense and a schedule full of weak opponents. And he’s right. Doyel breaks down the game plan against Crossroads.
Grinnell pressed from the opening tap, and Arseneault stationed Taylor atop the press to defend the inbounds play and double-team the recipient of the entry pass. Once the ball passed the free throw line Taylor stopped defending, crossing the midcourt stripe only once during a 11-minute stretch on Sunday — and as soon as he realized where he was, he stopped. At that moment Crossroads had a two-on-one fast break; Taylor was the one. When he stopped, it was two on none.
A weak and limited opponent, yet, the plan was a fierce half court, inbounds press. The plan is great for generating headlines, but deplorable for the sake of sportsmanship.
However, if you ask Taylor himself, he credits the team’s system and seems genuinely excited about being able to put up those numbers.
The question that Shaq poses is a legitimate query. Could Taylor succeed at the NBA level?
I’d like to take it a step further, would he be as great at the highest level of collegiate basketball? Could he make 24 of 48 threes against an opponent like Duke, Kansas or Kentucky?
I think not. I doubt, for all of his flair, that he’ll even make it to the D-League.
What about you? As you read this, what is your opinion?
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