Feb. 24, 2011
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By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Everywhere Jermaine Taylor looked Wednesday night, he had to feel, metaphorically at least, like he was back at home. The faces of several family members dotted the Amway Center crowd, friends and former teammates from UCF cheered his every move and he was even competing against his favorite childhood team, the Orlando Magic.
But out there on the court, where Taylor was slashing to the hoop, dunking and knocking down one critical jump shot after another to lead the Sacramento Kings to an upset of the Magic, well, that was the place that felt the most like home to the 6-foot-4 shooting guard.
After rarely playing his first 1 ½ seasons in the NBA, Taylor has found himself now in a role where he is a primary contributor to one of the league's youngest teams. An injury to star guard Tyreke Evans - a former Conference USA rival of Taylor - has helped the former UCF star get the professional opportunity that he's hungered for. And now that he's playing significant minutes again, Taylor isn't about to let this chance slip through his hands.
``It felt really good, especially getting the minutes and starting,'' Taylor said after making nine of 12 shots and scoring a career-best 21 points Wednesday in Orlando. ``I really feel comfortable every time I step on the floor now. I've been playing basketball for a long time and every time I'm out there, I feel at home.''
Taylor admittedly felt like a lost soul the past 18 months while bouncing around the NBA, sitting on the bench and being shuttled back and forth between the Developmental League. It was quite a shock to the system for Taylor, who was UCF's ``Mr. Do Everything'' during his senior season. He finished as UCF's all-time leading scorer at the Division I level and won the C-USA Player of the Year award over the likes of Evans, a Memphis product.
After his senior campaign, Taylor became just the second UCF player to be selected in the NBA Draft, joining Bennie Shaw in 1976. But that's when the craziness ensued. He was traded from Washington to Houston draft night. After a 2009-10 rookie season in Houston in which he played in just 31 games and spent three stints in the D-League, Taylor was traded to the Sacramento Kings.
Sacramento saw plenty from Taylor following his star-studded college career and a 2010 NBA Summer League display in which he opened eyes. He made the NBA Summer League All-Tournament team after averaging 18.4 points over five games, one of which was a 25-point outing.
With the Kings, Taylor wasn't initially in the rotation, but he's come on remarkably of late once given more consistent playing time. He had a career-best night on Wednesday not far from his hometown of Tavares and his alma mater at UCF. He scored 13 points and checked superstar guard Dwyane Wade Tuesday in Miami and poured in an impressive 17 points and three 3-pointers two weeks ago in Dallas.
``I've learned to stay ready and that anything can happen at any time,'' Taylor said after Wednesday's win. ``A week ago, I went from not playing in like 15 games at all to all of a sudden starting. You just never know what can happen, so you have to stay ready.''
Taylor's ability to score points in bunches - as he did at UCF when he ranked third in the nation in scoring with 26.2 points per game and netted a school-record 812 points during his senior season - has already caught the eye of his coaches and teammates in Sacramento.
``We didn't know what to expect because we had never seen him play. How could you expect that (21-point performance on Wednesday)?'' Kings coach Paul Westphal joked. ``He's worked real hard though. He didn't get a chance to play very much for a while, and now he's getting a chance and he's really taking advantage of it. He had a breakout game against Dallas right before the break. Now, he's playing with great confidence and showing he belongs in this league.''
Sacramento center DeMarcus Cousins, one of the NBA's best rookies, dresses right next to Taylor on the road and for home games and the two have become fast friends. Cousins said that while some people in the NBA might not know what Taylor is capable of, he thinks the dynamic shooting guard has a bright future.
``We know what Jermaine can do; we see him every day in practice,'' Cousins gushed. ``He's had opportunities since Tyreke got hurt and he's stepped up. Jermaine can be an incredible player. He is young, talented and athletic and there's still room to improve.''
Taylor, who was back on campus at UCF last week and attended a women's basketball game, said the area he's had to work the most on since college is his ability to defend opposing shooting guards. The position is one of the most demanding in the NBA what with an all-star player across the way often several times a week.
Taylor said he still keeps in contact with some of his former UCF teammates such as A.J. Rompza and David Diakite, and he's been very impressed with first-year UCF head coach Donnie Jones following a couple of conversations.
Taylor said the comfort of seeing friends from UCF and family members on Wednesday put him at ease to have a career game. He said knowing that he's going to get consistent minutes and that he's a focal point of the offense again has made him feel alive and needed again. After all, he's most at home when he's on the basketball court and pouring in the points.
``During the game I saw a lot of familiar faces. There were a lot of people from UCF and some people from home here supporting me. They represented so well and it was so exciting for me,'' Taylor said. ``I'm going to remember this for a while. I had a good game with a career-high in front of my family and friends. I just want to come out every game and play as hard as I can and do what I need to do to take advantage of this opportunity.
John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFAthletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.