June 25, 2009
NEW YORK (UCFAthletics.com) - Former UCF star Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla.) was selected by Washington with the 32nd overall pick of the 2009 National Basketball Association Draft Thursday evening, and was then traded to Houston. The Wizards used the second selection of the second round on the shooting guard.
An All-America selection, Taylor ranked third nationally in scoring at 26.2 points per game as a senior in 2008-09.
About a half hour after Taylor was tabbed by the Wizards, NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver announced that he had been traded to the Rockets.
He became the second NBA Draft pick in UCF history, joining Bennie Shaw, who was selected in the ninth round by Milwaukee in 1976.
"We are extremely proud and happy for Jermaine," UCF head coach Kirk Speraw said. "He worked so hard not only during his time at UCF, but during the entire pre-draft process. The hard work has paid off. I have no doubt that Jermaine will continue to work hard at the next level."
Taylor was selected as the Conference USA Player of the Year this past season after averaging a league-record 29.1 points against conference foes. He scored a school-record 812 points during the campaign and led the Knights in scoring in 29 of their 31 contests. Taylor scored at least 20 points in 24 of UCF's 31 games, totaling nine 30-point performances and one 40-point contest.
He shot 48.0 percent overall and made 37.6 percent of his attempts from deep, connecting on 92 3-pointers, which ranked fourth on the school's single-season register. Taylor was also the squad's top rebounder at 5.2 per game.
As a senior, he was selected to the Basketball Times All-America Third Team and received Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention recognition. An All-C-USA First Team pick, he was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches and United States Basketball Writers Association all-district teams. On five occasions, he received C-USA Player of the Week honors.
As a junior, Taylor ranked fourth in C-USA and 23rd nationally in scoring, averaging 20.8 points. An All-C-USA Second Team selection, he led the Knights in scoring on 23 occasions.
Taylor concluded his career with 1,979 points, a UCF Division I record. That mark was also good for fourth on the C-USA career list. He averaged 16.2 points during his career and made a school-record 251 3-pointers.
Following the conclusion of the season, Taylor excelled on the pre-draft circuit. At the Portsmouth Invitational in April, he led the event in scoring, averaging 21.3 points to earn a spot on the all-tournament team. Earlier that month, he totaled 23 points to garner team MVP honors at the Hershey's College All-Star Game in Detroit.
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.