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TAYLOR KING: LESSONS LEARNED

Rob Harrington
robharrington@prepstars.com
June 22, 2010

There was a time when Taylor King was one of the most highly prized young prospects in American basketball. He wasn’t merely a local hero, he was considered a foil for the other established young superstar in the Class of 2007, O.J. Mayo.

But now, his basketball career may be finished. King’s future on the hardwood remains uncertain after he quit Villanova’s team under mysterious circumstances.

First, though, let’s take a look back. At the 2003 ABCD Camp in New Jersey, when King was a rising freshman competing against Dwight Howard and other studs three years older, he drew comparisons to some of the greatest shooters in basketball history — including Larry Bird!

And in truth, it was difficult to deny him his stature. He was a legitimate 6-6 wing with shooting range — and accuracy — to 24 feet. The lefty also possessed a scrappy toughness and intelligence that enabled him to compensate for his lack of athleticism.

His reputation fell off as his high school career progressed, but the California native remained a highly valued recruit and signed with Duke.

And then, after only one season in Durham in 2007-08, he transferred to Villanova. He hadn’t received much playing time for the perimeter-loaded Blue Devils and most figured he would move closer to home, but his selection of a Big East club with reputation for quick, hard-nosed defense surprised many observers.

He sat out the following year and became eligible as a sophomore this past season for the Wildcats, and he started the season very well. In addition to great three-point range — always his hallmark — he hustled for rebounds and fought tooth and nail for loose balls.

His performances then dipped dramatically during Big East play. He enjoyed a brief resurgence in the first round of the NCAA tournament against Robert Morris, helping his team survive an upset, but that was the only real highlight from the second half of his season. In the end, he wasn’t able to establish consistent offense off the dribble, and he struggled to defend elite wing athletes.

King’s case reinforces two ideas we frequently tout at PrepStars.com:

1) For all the hubbub about skills and intangibles and toughness, basketball is a game of explosive speed. Those other factors are extremely important, of course, but players need to have acceptable athleticism in order for anything else to matter.

That’s just the reality. You can be a below-average athlete and enjoy great success; your road will be far more difficult to navigate if you’re an inferior athlete. And that’s all King was, which cancelled out the other excellent qualities he provided for a team. The difference in speed between high school and college was too much to overcome.

2) Psychologically, an argument can be made that King’s early stature hampered his improvement. Clearly, the guys who get hyped first face the most pressure as the years progress. Even Mayo, with all his physical gifts, endured very bad publicity in high school and ultimately became embroiled in an NCAA eligibility blow-up at Southern Cal. There are all sorts of pitfalls.

The hope here is that King is able to get his basketball back on track, and in the event he can’t, we’d love to see him obtain a college degree and remain involved in the game one way or another.

At this point, it’s uncertain whether basketball has aided or hurt Taylor King.