Aug. 6, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Former UCF men's basketball star Jermaine Taylor signed a multi-year contract with the Houston Rockets Wednesday. Taylor, who garnered All-America honors as a senior for the Knights in 2008-09, was selected by Washington with the 32nd overall pick in the NBA Draft in June, and was immediately traded to the Rockets.
Per Houston policy, financial terms were not released.
Taylor played in four games for the Rockets in the 2009 NBA Summer League presented by EA Sports in Las Vegas and averaged 11.0 points and 2.3 assists.
The shooting guard ranked third in the nation in scoring this past season, averaging 26.2 points for head coach Kirk Speraw's UCF squad. He totaled a school record 812 points during the campaign. In C-USA play, he set league records by averaging 29.1 points and notching 466 points in 16 conference contests. Taylor scored at least 20 points in 24 of 31 games. He also led the Knights in rebounds per game (5.2) and blocked shots (24).
"We are extremely proud of Jermaine," Speraw said. "He worked so hard during his time at UCF to become a better player and there is no doubt that he will continue to work hard in the NBA. This is an exciting time for Jermaine and it is an exciting time for our program as well. I know that the Rockets now have a lot of fans on the UCF campus and in Orlando."
In addition to earning a spot on the All-C-USA First Team, Taylor received Basketball Times All-America Third Team honors and Associated Press All-America honorable mention recognition.
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