April 2, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF's Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla.) will be displaying his talents on the national stage Thursday evening when he participates in the Vegas.Com Slam Dunk Championship. The event, which will be held in Auburn Hills, Mich., will air on ESPN at 9 p.m.
During his career, Taylor provided UCF fans with dozens of highlights. One of the best athletes in school history, many of the great plays were slam dunks. Before Taylor aims for the slam dunk title in Michigan, let's take a look at the best dunks of his collegiate career:
1. vs. Kansas State (Nov. 23, 2008)
During his two years in Orlando, Chip Cartwright dished out plenty of great passes to Taylor. None were better than his one-handed bounce pass versus the No. 18 Wildcats. On a fastbreak, Cartwright made the pass between two defenders after crossing the halfcourt line. Taylor caught the ball in the paint and then skied for a one-handed, and-one slam over Andre Gilbert.
2. UTEP (Jan. 23, 2008)
UCF recorded one of the top offensive performances in Conference USA history when the host Knights rolled to a 109-80 win over the Miners. Taylor provided the top highlight during the game, grabbing an ally-oop from Mike O'Donnell in the second half. The junior caught and dunked the ball between a pair of defenders - Victor Ramalho and Julyan Stone.
3. at New Mexico (Nov. 22, 2008)
Playing in one of the nation's toughest venues, the Knights trailed New Mexico at The Pit 70-64 with 35 seconds to play. After Taylor drained a 3-pointer to get UCF within three, the Lobos' Jonathan Wills threw the ball away in the back court. Taylor then scooped up the ball near halfcourt. In seemingly no time, he skied towards the basket and threw down a dunk over a New Mexico defender. On UCF's next possession, Taylor kicked the ball out to Chris Baez, who drained a 3-pointer with four seconds remaining to give the Knights a 72-71 win.
4. Marshall (Feb. 6, 2008)
After notching his 1,000th career point in the second half, Taylor celebrated with a double-pump reverse dunk on a fastbreak towards the end of the game. He scored a then-career-high 34 points in the 77-63 win over the Thundering Herd.
5. Memphis (Feb. 10, 2008)
In front of a school record 9,825 fans at the UCF Arena, the Knights nearly toppled national power Memphis before falling 73-66. UCF gave Memphis all it could handle in the first half. Taylor, who finished with 24 points, brought the fans to their feet with a slam dunk late in the opening half. He raced ahead of Tyreke Evans on a fastbreak and took off inside the paint for an impressive one-handed slam.
6. at Houston (March 5, 2008)
Late in the second half, Cartwright drove the lane on a fastbreak. Playing in his hometown, the point guard spotted Taylor on his right. Cartwright used his right hand to toss a perfect ally-oop, which Taylor caught and slammed over Houston's Lanny Smith.
7. Long Island (Dec. 31, 2007)
In the championship of the UCF Holiday Classic, Taylor raced down the court on a fastbreak. The Blackbirds' Eugene Kotorobai made the mistake of challenging Taylor as he went up for a one-handed dunk. The junior saw no obstacle, sending a vicious slam over Kotorobai. Taylor was also fouled on the play.
8. vs. Kansas State (Nov. 23, 2008)
For the second time against Kansas State, Cartwright setup an incredible Taylor dunk. This time it was late in the second half. Cartwright threw a lob to Taylor, which the junior caught near his knees. Taylor turned to face the hoop and threw the ball down for the slam. Taylor scored 20 points in the game at Disney's Wide World of Sports.
9. North Carolina A&T (Nov. 16, 2008)
In UCF's season opener, Taylor gave an indication of what was to come throughout the year, totaling 28 points versus the Aggies. In the second half, Taylor Young tossed an ally-oop behind a soaring Taylor. Taylor reached back, grabbed the ball with one hand and threw it down for the slam dunk.
10. at Marshall (March 1, 2006)
As a freshman, Taylor showed glimpses of his superior athleticism. His top highlight came at the end of the year at Marshall. At the conclusion of the first half, he leaped to catch a high halfcourt lob from O'Donnell for a slam. The play elicited the most excitement heard from the voice of UCF radioman Marc Daniels all season. Daniels called the dunk "one of the greatest ally-oops that I have ever seen."
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Notes: On Friday, Taylor is scheduled to participate in the Hershey's College All-Star Game at Ford Field in Detroit. The event, which is part of Final Four weekend, will air live nationally on CBS College Sports, starting at 4:30 p.m... R.J. Scott, who signed a National Letter of Intent with the Knights in the fall, was named to the Louisiana Class 4A All-State First Team last week. The guard averaged 17.3 points for state champion Salmen High School.