B.J. Taylor loves basketball. He loves to play. And he loves to watch. He watches the NBA. He watches the college game. He goes back to Boone High School and watches his Braves. Maybe his favorite? The NCAA Tournament.
"I watched almost every game," Taylor said of this year's March Madness. "Teams who succeed on that level, it's easy to see how hard they play. Those guys, they play to win. Those teams, they've found a way to figure things out."
Like most fans, Taylor watched Villanova defeat Michigan for the national championship live Monday night. But while many of his teammates were taking it in as a group at head coach Johnny Dawkins' house, Taylor was home, watching by himself while studying for an exam.
Three days later, he was watching it again.
This time he had a viewing partner. Taylor met Dawkins in his office Thursday morning to re-watch the game, and to dissect everything the Wildcats did to be so successful.
"Coach and I watched the whole game together," Taylor said. "We sat and talked about it for a long time. And that's a big part of this offseason for our team. We need to watch a lot of film, continue to learn how to get better."
One of the realizations to come out of watching all those games, some multiple times, was that the talent level between teams in college basketball isn't all that different.
"For the most part the talent isn't what separates the teams in the NCAA Tournament," Taylor said. "They all have good players, but it all comes down to who can utilize the players they have and who executes better."
Taylor has seen what success can look like. When the Knights reached the NIT Semifinals in 2016-17, he got a taste of it, but he wants more.
"We're not going to beat around the bush about what our goal is," he said. "For us, it's doing everything we can to make the NCAA Tournament and putting ourselves in position to be at the top of the conference."
As he's heard Dawkins preach time and time again, to Taylor it's about leaving his legacy. And playing for his hometown team, it means a little bit more for him.
"I have to leave it all out there for this city," he said. "I think there's a different level of pride playing at UCF and being from Orlando."
Taylor has given the fans many moments to cherish. In three years, he's scored over 1,000 points, earned all-conference accolades, and came through in big moments time and time again. But he wants more. He needs more.
"Being from Orlando, I want to be the greatest to ever play here," he said. "The only way to do that is to win championships."
RENEW FOR 2018-19
It's time to renew your tickets for the 2018-19 season! This year's deadline for renewal is April 16. Fans are encouraged to renew their UCF Basketball tickets today by calling (407) 823-1000 (Option 2) or visiting UCFKnights.com.
