'08 MN PG Jordan Taylor (UW Verbal)

[Heavystarch]

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St. Louis Park (MN) Benilde-St. Margarets
AAU: Howard Pulley

HT: 6'1"
WT: 175 lbs

Statistics: 21.8 pts, 7.3 asts, 5.5 rebs

Originally Posted by Scout Bio

Helped lead Red Knights to 27-5 mark as a junior and a second place finish in the Class AAA State Tournament as he averaged 19.5 points per game.

Originally Posted by Bo Ryan

Jordan has wanted to be a Wisconsin Badger for a long time and has put in a lot of hard work and effort to work towards that goal....He has a presence and moxie about him that Wisconsin fans around the country will enjoy watching develop during his career as a Badger

Honors:
- Minnesota State Player of the Year (Pioneer Press)
- 1st Team All-State

Rankings:
- 22nd best PG by Scout
-22nd best PG by Rivals

Notes: Committed to UW in November.

[cportbucky]

Taylor and Berggren were named to the Star-Trib's All Metro Team. Some good quotes from both.

All-Metro first team

[Bernini]

Jordan scored 43 points (11/21 fg's, 5/9 3's, 16-18 ft's), grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished out 3 assists against St. Paul Como Park, to lead Benilde St. Margaret's into the 3A State Semis.

Maybe he would have been starring in the Burger Boy game in Milwaukee tonight, and have a higher rating, if he didn't commit so early to Wisconsin. None of the players featured in that game were overly impressive outside of Evans, Monroe, and Rosario. Taylor's run in Minnesota is reminding me a bit of Dominic "the dominator" James' in Indiana in '05. That year, Luke Zeller won Indiana's Mr. Basketball and was a Burger Boy, mostly because he hit a dramatic 80 footer to win a big game. Haha. Who is Luke Zeller? I don't even know if Notre Dame fans know at this point.

[OnWisconsin07]

Here is the article about Jordan and his performance thus far.

Taylor has it all, and does it all

[Bernini]

Article (w/ video clip)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Benilde-St. Margaret's started fast and never let up in a 100-70 win over Minneapolis Patrick Henry in the semifinals of the Class 3A boys' basketball tournament at Target Center on Wednesday evening.
Senior Armond Battle scored 21 points, and the Red Knights opened the game with a fury, building a 29-3 first half lead, then coasting to victory in the second half.
Thirteen different players scored for the Red Knights, with four in double figures. They shot 68.8 percent from field goal range in the first half and made seven of 10 3-pointers.
"At the first TV timeout we talked about putting our foot on their throat and not letting up," senior Jordan Taylor said. "We definitely did that."
Red Knights head coach John Moore began resting his starters midway through the first half, and most sat for good by the time 10 minutes had passed in the second.
Moore said he tried to keep his team from scoring 100 in the final minute, but sophomore John Karlen was a late substitute and didn't get the message, banking a jump shot as time expired. It was Karlen's first two points of the season.
"When you have 17-, 18-year-old kids out there, they just want to have fun," Taylor said. "The JV guys obviously want to get on the board. There was no ill intent."
Battle made nine of 15 shots, while senior Jordan Taylor added 19 points. Jordan scored 15 of those points in the first half after scoring 43 in Benilde's semifinal win over St. Paul Como Park.
Taylor and Battle are both Mr. Basketball finalists, have combined for seven All-Conference awards, and are both committed to Division I schools - Jordan to Wisconsin and Battle to Tulsa. No Henry players are committed to Division I or II schools.
"Jordan's had a great tournament," Battle said of Taylor. "He leads our team in every which way. He's a leader at heart."
Taylor had similar sentiments about Battle.
"He has so much upside," Taylor said. "I'm kind of excited to see what he does down at Tulsa. I'm keeping an eye on him."
The two led the Red Knights to their third conference title in four years, a 26-3 regular season record and a No. 1 ranking in the season-ending AP poll.
All three of the team's losses this season came to Class 4A teams, including losses to Minnetonka and Hopkins, the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the state, respectively.
Along with four other seniors, Taylor and Battle have played for Benilde-St. Margaret's since seventh grade.
"These days it seems like not many kids play for the same team in high school that they did in seventh grade," Moore said. "I think that's a big reason for our success."
Minneapolis Henry (20-11), tenth in the final poll and unseeded in the tournament, was led by Louis Cox with 20 points and Jordan Hughes with 13.
Benilde-St. Margaret's will play the winner of Thursday night's game between St. Thomas Academy and Willmar for the Class 3A championship on Saturday.

[Bernini]

Congrats to Jordan Taylor for Being Named Minnesota's Basketball Player of the Year per the Pioneer Press!

Ray Richardson
Pioneer Press
4/2

If a teammate fumbles one of his passes under the basket or misses a shot, Jordan Taylor will give him a comforting look.
Taylor's eye contact tells the teammate that he'll have another chance. Taylor's Benilde-St. Margaret's teammates rarely saw a scowl or look of distrust on his face. As a point guard, one of Taylor's duties was to show support and be a calming influence.
Eventually, a teammate will make good on his second chance because Taylor believed in him. But it was Taylor who often stepped up to hit a key shot, make a timely steal, grab a loose ball or snatch a tough rebound.
"A point guard is supposed to be a true leader for your team, and we've had that in Jordan for a long time," Benilde-St. Margaret's forward Armond Battle said.
After four years of running the show at Benilde, one of the most complete players in Minnesota is ready to move on. Taylor will take with him a Class AAA state title and the honor of being the Pioneer Press boys basketball player of the year.
We introduce to you a student-athlete who has a passion for business on and off the court.
THOSE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA RUMORS
Let's get this out of the way right now.
When asked about rumors that he is rethinking his commitment to Wisconsin, Taylor said he had been hearing the same thing. He also said his commitment to Badgers coach Bo Ryan is firm.
"I'm 100 percent Wisconsin," Taylor said. "I can't wait to get there. I love the campus, t's not that far away from home, and it's got the academic system I was looking for." BEYOND THE POINTS-ASSISTS RATIO
Taylor's father, Louis, is an investment adviser; his mom, Leslie, is an insurance agent.
It's easy to understand why Taylor already has a business IQ. He once toured General Mills' corporate headquarters in Golden Valley and was convinced he wanted to go into marketing.
One reason Taylor chose Wisconsin is the university's business school.
"I hope I can qualify for the school in my sophomore year," Taylor said. "My dad's always on me about learning how to handle my finances."
THE POINT-GUARD ROLE MODEL
For Taylor, it's New Orleans Hornets sensation Chris Paul, who leads the NBA with 11.4 assists a game.
Taylor said he watches Paul, a two-year veteran, as much as he can.
"I like Paul's aggressiveness in going to the basket, but he also has great court vision, and he's unselfish," Taylor said. "Being unselfish is real important for a point guard. You have to find your teammates, as well as be able to score, and Paul does that."
BY THE NUMBERS
43 Taylor's career-high point total, against Como Park in the Class AAA quarterfinals last Wednesday at Target Center
3 Minnesota players committed to the University of Wisconsin (Taylor, Princeton forward Jared Berggren, Sibley junior forward Mike Bruesewitz)
2,068 Taylor's career points at Benilde, a school record
653 Taylor's career assists at Benilde, a school record
29 Free throws made by Taylor during Class AAA state tournament
96 Benilde victories during Taylor's four-year career (96-23, .806)
THE JORDAN TAYLOR FILE
Age: 18 School: Benilde-St. Margaret's
Parents: Louis and Leslie; siblings: Brandon, 24
Hometown: Bloomington
Favorite subject: Spanish
Favorite teacher: Matt St. Martin (personal finance management)
College major: Marketing
Grade-point average: 3.58
Favorite music artist: Rapper Li'l Wayne
Favorite movie: "Coming To America" (Eddie Murphy, 1988)

[Bernini]

You've got to love Taylor's emulation of Chris Paul as a point guard. He's the prototype floor leader for me in the basketball world right now. He perfectly balances unselfishness with assertiveness.

[TroyD92]

I love the two guards coming in Wilson looks like a steal for use and Taylor seems like a prototypical PG great leader seems to know when he has to take the game over and when to let his teamates take over and gotta love someone who trys to emulate Chris Paul

[Heavystarch]

Rivals Free?

4/27/08

Taylor was named Mr. Basketball in MN. Berggren was also a finalist