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Where’s Marshall Taylor?
Since graduating from West Catholic in 2004, the 6-foot-4, 205-pound forward was missing in action.
That is, until Dec. 18, 2005, when Taylor made his college basketball debut with the La Salle University Explorers. His first game was a quadruple overtime thriller against Central Connecticut State, which La Salle won, 107-106. Taylor saw 24 minutes of action and tallied 10 points and four rebounds.
"It felt good," the 18-year-old said of the game. "It was probably the best college basketball game I’ll ever play in."
The athlete, from 17th and McClellan streets, would’ve enjoyed the game no matter what team the Explorers faced. Taylor is happy to play organized ball again following his unplanned layoff.
TAYLOR HAD ACCEPTED a Division I basketball scholarship to Siena College in Albany and enrolled for the fall 2004 semester. Being a 17-year-old freshman, the athlete red-shirted, meaning he could practice with his team but not play in games. It also gave him a chance to focus on academics.
"I couldn’t play and I felt kind of homesick," Taylor said of not playing the sport.
The athlete decided attending a college closer to home would be a better situation. In December 2004, he transferred to La Salle. Taylor said playing for the Explorers was appealing because he knew the coaching staff and his parents could see him play more often.
Since NCAA rules require athletes to sit out a year following a transfer, Taylor wasn’t cleared to play until the middle of December. He was permitted to practice with the Explorers and could sit on the bench for home games, but traveling with the team was off limits. Taylor kept his body in shape by doing individual workouts with assistant coach Ashley Howard. If he didn’t practice, the athlete made sure he did some conditioning.
"It felt kind of awkward because I didn’t play organized basketball for a year," said Taylor, who is majoring in criminal justice. "I had to make a fast transition."
The forward was accustomed to being the man for the West Catholic Burrs, earning All-Catholic and All-City recognition as a senior and leading all Catholic League Southern Division scorers with 21.8 points per game. He scored 29 points or more five times during the 2003-04 season. Taylor is one of only seven West Catholic players to graduate with more than 1,000 career points – 1,084 to be exact.
Playing at La Salle meant adjusting to a new role. With his Explorers 5-0 when he joined the team, Taylor became a key player off the bench, guarding the opposition’s best player. Through his first seven games with the Explorers, the athlete has played 20.1 minutes a game and averaged 6.7 points and 2.3 rebounds a game.
The rookie has cousin and teammate Richard "Tabby" Cunningham, a 2004 St. John Neumann grad, to help him adjust to being a La Salle Explorer.
"It’s great because I always wanted to play with him, but I unfortunately had to play against him during my high school career,"
It also doesn’t hurt having Seven Smith, who was a preseason candidate for the Naismith and Wooden National Player of the Year awards, as a teammate.
"It’s an honor playing with him," Taylor said of Smith. "I’ve had to guard him everyday in practice."
Together, the three have helped the Explorers open the 2005-06 season with a 10-2 record. The first loss came Dec. 22 against No. 3 Villanova, 98-57.
"We all got together after the game and said to remember this feeling because we don’t want to feel like this again," Taylor said.
La Salle’s other loss came against Hofstra on Dec. 30, 71-70.
Taylor wasted little time making an immediate impact against Atlantic-10 competition, averaging 10.5 points and four rebounds in two La Salle victories. It earned him conference Rookie of the Week honors.
In Saturday’s 67-56 win over Richmond, Taylor tallied 11 points to go along with five rebounds, three steals and a pair of assists. Wednesday, Taylor shot eight-for-15 from the field in an 84-61 win over Duquesne and finished with 10 points and three rebounds.
No matter how his Explorers fare in the Atlantic 10 this season, Taylor said he is happy to play competitive ball again. As the season proceeds, Taylor expects to get more comfortable with his new team.
"Catholic League basketball was kind of slow and college basketball is a faster game," he said. "I adjusted better than I thought I would."
It certainly beats watching from the bench.
