Prospect Spotlight: Jakari Taylor (2019)
When evaluating young players, you often go by what kind of upside a player has, or you look at little flashes a player shows since many of the kids you’re watching haven’t even began their growth spurts yet. When I…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingWhen evaluating young players, you often go by what kind of upside a player has, or you look at little flashes a player shows since many of the kids you’re watching haven’t even began their growth spurts yet. When I watched rising sophomore Jakari Taylor with Team Richmond Garner Road’s 15U squad in Myrtle Beach, I saw exactly what I needed to see to know that this kid is talented and needs to be watched as he develops.
In this particular game, a close loss for TRGR, Taylor finished with 18 points, including four three-pointers, two in each half. He showed good leaping ability as he attacked the glass, was unselfish for the most part and accepted the go-to role as he looked for his shot when his team needed a basket.
However, the most impressive thing I saw was that he had a never ending motor, something you don’t always see out of young guards with as much talent as he shows.
“I just try to give 100% the whole game and rebound on both ends,” the 6’0” guard said. “I try to drive and get some easy ones at the beginning and that really opens up my game offensively. I just want to play hard and help my team get a win.”
Despite breaking his hand early in the season for Colonial Forge, Taylor bounced back nicely in the sixth man role, and was a key factor for his team down the stretch. His athleticism and ability to make plays all over the court gained recognition from a lot of area coaches in Fredericksburg, and earned him a spot in the Vantage Hoops Top 60 Rankings for the class of 2019.
Jakari Taylor’s raw talent and high motor landed him in the first 2019 rankings in VA.Moving forward, Taylor is looking to become more consistent while he looks to take on a bigger role for Forge, and become a leader as they go through a coaching change.
“I’m working on getting stronger in my upper body so I can attack the rim and finish through contact. I’m also working on my jump shot to keep improving that and become a more consistent shooter,” Taylor said.
As the high school season come around, Taylor’s goals are focused completely on getting his team back to the level that they are known for, and solidifying his name among the best young players in the state of Virginia.
“I want to be a go-to guy, one of the leading scorers and hopefully get my team back to the championship level that had us win back-to-back state championships before last season.”
With Colonial Forge undergoing a coaching change and some saying a “rebuilding process,” look for Taylor to take over a lot of the scoring duties, and hopefully become a leader that his team can lean on through the process.