High School Look Back: Terry Taylor (Bowling Green)
When I asked Terry Taylor what his goals for his final season of high school basketball were back on July 25, 2016, he made it very clear: “District. Region. State. All in that order. Nothing else needs to be said.” Now, three days following his final prep game, Taylor can look back and say that he accomplished each goal on his list.
“My senior season went as planned,” Taylor said. “We won our Christmas Tournament, the 14th District Tournament, the 4th Region Tournament and the state championship. I don’t care about my personal stats. As long as we win, I’m as happy as can be.”
Although he is a team-first kind of player, Taylor had quite the season for the Purples. Starting in all 38 games on the 2016-17 campaign, the 6-foot-6 forward averaged 17.4 points while shooting 66.7 percent from the field and grabbed 12.1 rebounds per night. In last week’s 100th Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Boys Sweet Sixteen Tournament, Taylor combined to score 82 points, pull down 50 rebounds and dish out 10 assists in the four games BG played to win their first-ever state crown.
With achieving the ultimate goal in his very last game, it’s safe to say Taylor had quite the success as a Purple.
“I enjoyed my four years of high school (basketball),” Taylor stated. “I went from being just a post player with limited moves to being able to handle the ball and shoot the ball and defend better. The success I had is something kids would dream about achieving, I feel like.”
His career is just beginning, though, as Taylor has signed his Letter of Intent to play Division I college basketball at Austin Peay, an Ohio Valley Conference club. He’ll join former Region 4 Warren Central High School stars Chris Porter-Bunton and Jared Savage in Clarksville, Tennessee following graduation from BGHS.
“I plan to play college basketball at Austin Peay University and study to be a dental hygienist,” Taylor noted.
With his high school career completed, the athlete has a message for those still performing at the prep level:
“Work in the offseason and get better,” Taylor added. “Build chemistry with your teammates and play every game like it’s your last. Senior year goes by so fast.”