March 10, 2009
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (UCFAthletics.com) - The United States Basketball Writers Association announced its all-district teams Tuesday and UCF senior guard Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla.) has earned a spot on the USBWA All-District IV Team. Taylor is third in the nation in scoring, averaging 26.1 points per game.
Taylor is the first player in school history to garner all-district honors from the USBWA, which was formed in 1956. The organization's members select nine all-district teams across the country.
Taylor joined Nick Calathes (Florida), Toney Douglas (Florida State), Tyreke Evans (Memphis), Lester Hudson (UT-Martin), Jack McClinton (Miami), Jodie Meeks (Kentucky), Tyler Smith (Tennessee), Jarvis Varnado (Mississippi State) and Terrence Williams (Louisville) on the all-district team. Meeks was named the district player of the year.
Players from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee are eligible for inclusion on the USBWA All-District IV Team.
Recognition on the all-district team is the second honor that Taylor has garnered this week. On Monday, he was named to the All-Conference USA First Team. Taylor averaged a league-record 29.1 points in C-USA player.
He has led the Knights in scoring in 29 of the team's 30 contests in 2008-09. On nine occasions he has scored over 30 points and the senior also posted one 40-point showing.
Taylor has been one of the most accurate shooters in the country this season. He is shooting 48.5 percent overall and his 3-point field goal percentage (38.4) is good for 51st in the nation. Taylor has knocked down 91 triples this season.
Taylor closed the regular season in strong fashion, averaging 35.1 points in UCF's final seven contests. He leads all active UCF players on the glass, grabbing 5.3 rebounds per contest. Taylor, who is listed at 6-foot-4, is also first on the team with 24 blocks.
UCF is set to open the Conference USA Championship on Wednesday in Memphis, Tenn. The Knights have earned the No. 6 seed at the event and will face No. 11 Southern Miss. Tip-off from the FedEx Forum for the first round contest is 3:30 p.m. Eastern.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
USBWA ALL-DISTRICT IV TEAM
Nick Calathes, Florida
Toney Douglas, Florida State
Tyreke Evans, Memphis
Lester Hudson, UT-Martin
Jack McClinton, Miami
Jodie Meeks, Kentucky
Tyler Smith, Tennessee
Jermaine Taylor, UCF
Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State
Terrence Williams, Louisville