Recruiting Report: Justin Taylor (2022)

<p>When it comes to covering the state of Virginia, there really hasn’t been a kid whose trajectory has followed that of St. Anne’s-Belfield’s [player_tooltip player_id="962785" first="Justin" last="Taylor"] in the past few years. As a young kid that showed good promise, the rate in which he has improved has been astronomical, and the way that he went from relatively obscure to being a nationally ranked and highly sought after recruit seemed to come out of nowhere.</p> <p>“I think I’ve been able to expand my game a lot over these couple of years,” Taylor said. “I’ve become more comfortable with the ball in my hands, being a playmaker and developing from just a shooter to someone who can score at all three levels.”</p> <p>The 6’6” sniper of a wing was well known after his freshman season when he held a few low and mid major offers, but it was the beginning of his sophomore year that things started to take off. He started receiving phone calls and offers from schools in the Big East, ACC and the Big 10, and others were taking notice and just waiting for the right time.</p> <p>It had long been reveled by many scouts and members of the basketball community how perfect of a fit the Charlottesville native would be if he stayed home and went to UVA, and the Cavaliers pulled the trigger on him earlier this year as he was the first prospect to be offered in the Hoo’s 2022 class.</p> <p>It was a very proud moment for Taylor, who plays on the same high school team as Eli Bennett and Austin Williford, the sons of Head Coach Tony Bennett and Associate Head Coach Jason Williford, respectively.</p> <p>“It definitely meant a lot and was an exciting moment for me,” he said about his hometown school offering him. “Just growing up here and watching all of their games as a kid, to now getting the offer and having the chance to play for them is pretty surreal.”</p> <p>While many may believe that he’s such a good fit for the local school that it’s inevitable that he ends up there, Taylor has gone on record multiple times saying that he’s open to many schools that are recruiting him, and has no problem leaving the area or the state to attend school elsewhere if he feels it would be better for him. After debuting in the Rivals top 50 as a sophomore, Taylor received offers from all over the east coast and has kept his mind and options open moving forward with a number of programs that have made him a priority.</p> <p>“Virginia Tech, Syracuse, UVA, Indiana, Georgetown, Marquette and UNC are the most consistent programs that I stay in touch with,” he said. “I honestly have a good relationship with at least one of the coaches on those staffs. They’ve been doing a really good job just building that connection with me and staying in consistent contact.”</p> <p>Taylor’s size, smooth shooting ability and underrated playmaking and defensive ability are things that draw coaches from multiple systems to see him fitting in perfectly. He’s the prototypical two guard at the high major level and says he wants to go somewhere that he feels he will fit in both on the court and with the culture and coaching staff as well.</p> <p>“Fitting into the playing style is a huge factor and having a really good relationship with the coaching staff. Also, I want to go somewhere that feels like home and a place that can allow me to fulfill my highest goals.”</p> <p>While he’s still weighing his options and STAB has recently been given the go-ahead to play an eight game season starting in a few weeks, Taylor has his eyes on visiting some of these schools that have been in contact with him whenever he can. He’s already visited some local schools including UVA and Georgetown, but once he can go on officials, whenever the NCAA allows him to, he plans on visiting at least four more schools that have made him a priority.</p> <p>“Once I narrow down my list I’m definitely going to try and take officials to some of those schools if I’m able to. Some school that I haven’t visited yet but would want to are Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Indiana and UNC.”</p> <p>While he doesn’t know exactly when he can take those visits or when he’ll make a decision, Taylor has a vague timeline of when he would like to cut his list and when he wants to make that final decision. </p> <p>“I think I want to cut my list first sometime this spring and then make a final decision at some point in the summer.”</p> <p>One of the kids I have watched grow over the years, if there’s one thing I know coaches will get with Taylor is a natural leader who works hard on and off the court, as evident by his sparkling GPA and improvement over the past few years. He will be one of the most interesting recruitments to watch over the next few months, and even a guy like me who knows him pretty well can’t even begin to guess where he’ll end up at.</p>