Slam-dunk decision

Marshall Taylor had trimmed his college choices trimmed to three. But after the West Catholic High senior spent a couple of days in Loudonville, N.Y., checking out Siena College, he decided no other visits were necessary.

The Division I school just felt like home, he said.

"It was the way they treated me," said Taylor, of 17th and McClellan streets. "The coaching staff and players treated me like I was part of the team."

So the All-Catholic guard accepted Siena’s scholarship offer and canceled the visits he had scheduled to University of Maryland-Baltimore County and St. Peter’s.

The 17-year-old shares Philadelphia roots with soon-to-be teammates Joel Green and Michael Haddix, who both spent part of their high-school careers at St. John Neumann. But the most appealing aspect of the Siena program is the state-of-the-art Pepsi Arena — the third largest multipurpose stadium in New York.

"I’ve never played in a place like that," said Taylor, who led all Catholic League Southern Division scorers with 21.8 points per game last season. "I am excited to be going there."

For a school with only 3,000 undergraduates, playing in a 13,000-seat arena is a big deal. And since the Albany area lacks any professional sports franchises, Siena basketball gets a lot of attention.

Taylor, a First Team All-Catholic and Second Team All-City selection, will even play for a television audience.

Since the school is just three-and-a-half hours from Philadelphia, the athlete expects to have plenty of friends and family in the Pepsi Arena crowd.

West Catholic coach Bill Ludlow, who served as a consultant through the selection process, said Taylor and Siena are a great fit because each has a competitive nature.

"Marshall is a very competitive individual, and I think [Siena] will bring the best out of him," Ludlow said. "I think he’ll bring a lot to the table for them."

The Siena Saints finished the 2003-04 season with an overall record of 14-16, which includes a 9-9 mark in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play, good enough for sixth place in the 10-team league.

Taylor’s standout play at West Catholic helped his team and caught the eye of Division I coaches. The athlete’s performance played a major role in sending the Burrs to the playoffs last season for the first time in his career at West. The squad doubled its Catholic League victories each of the last three years. West Catholic won two games in 2002, four in 2003 and eight this past season.

After averaging 12-plus points per game as a sophomore and junior, Taylor took charge of the Burrs’ offense by scoring 29 points or more five times last season. He leaves West Catholic with 1,084 career points, making him just the seventh player in school history to join the prestigious 1,000-point club. The athlete said the highlight of his senior year was defeating St. John Neumann — something the Burrs had failed to do the three previous years he was on the team. Taylor led West’s offense with 29 points.

Unfortunately, the season didn’t end on such a high note as the Burrs suffered a heartbreaking 70-50 loss to St. Joseph’s Prep in the opening round of the playoffs. St. Joe’s went on to win the championship. Despite finishing the game with 19 points and 12 rebounds, Taylor played most of the contest in serious foul trouble.

The athlete takes his classwork as seriously as his basketball, and this past semester he was rewarded for his efforts with second honors.

"I think getting second honors is bigger than being All-Catholic because it’s the first time I am getting it at the school," said Taylor, who plans to major in computer science.

"I think we are going to hear a lot of good things over the next four years," Ludlow said of his star player.

Taylor knows he will have to spend much more time in the gym to compete on the college level, and expects to have to earn his playing time.

Coach Rob Lanier "told me to just come in and be myself and he is sure I’ll do well," he said. "I just have to play like I always do."

In other college basketball news, Neumann senior Adon El has accepted a Division II scholarship to the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. The River Hawks advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight in March, and finished the season ranked first in the Northeast Region Division II polls.

The Southwest Philly resident, a 6-foot-4 forward-center, earned Second Team All-Catholic honors and averaged 11.9 points per game while helping his Pirates advance to the Catholic League semifinals.