Taylor was one of the big winners of June as the combo forward racked up offers in bulk with his play at Philly and DC Live. The ball started rolling in May as Taylor gained plenty of fans with his play for Team Melo on the EYBL Circuit, but June was used as confirmation for many including Albany, Delaware, Drexel, Old Dominion, and Tennessee Tech, all of which extended offers to the St. John’s (DC) product.

Another massive piece to the St. John’s equation lies with Taylor, a powerhouse of a 6-foot-5 forward, who brings a much bigger presence around the rim and some of the more explosive athleticism off two feet for a prospect of his height that I’ve seen since covering HS basketball. He’s spent the last few months alongside Condon on Team Melo trying to prove to college staffs that his game has expanded away from the rim. There has been progressions in this sense as a stand still shooter from the perimeter or as a downhill attacker off the bounce, but at this point in time his bread is buttered from 12 feet and in where he absolutely buries his mismatch under the basket before rising up and throwing down two-handed dunks with authority. He doesn’t just rebound misses, he snags them with ferocity and with the approach of making a point to others not to try and contest his efforts. He can go up and pin layups against the glass with ease, is becoming more of an effective defender on possession-long switches and brings a tone-setting energy that helps fuel his team in battles. It was a busy month for Taylor on the recruiting front as he racked up offers from Albany, Delaware, Drexel, Old Dominion and Tennessee Tech from his performances at DC Live and Philly Live.

Even taller players were too small when they went against Taylor. The bully-ball wing created space with his strength for points in the paint and from the mid-range because he could get downhill off the dribble, then just bump defenders out of the way. His physicality overwhelmed players or at least gave him an edge on defense too. Taylor slid his feet in space, absorbed contact through his core, and tore down rebounds.

16p 5r 2a vs Father Judge;
9p 7r 1a 2s vs Wood

-The physical wing brought his hardhat and bounced back nicely in SJC’s second matchup of the day to prove his value in front of a slew of college coaches. Taylor performed his usual hard-nosed duties as an offensive rebounder around the rim but also knocked down a few big perimeter jumpers off the catch—a shot that he is growing increasingly dependable at if he catches in rhythm. His ability to guard up or down in a rotation gives SJC a ton of roster flexibility as he has improved his footspeed and his IQ/positioning to guard 4 different spots at the HS level.

22p 7r 2a 1b 3s vs St Petersburg

-The production somehow wasn’t as loud as his on-court impact in a near double-double performance in a good win over SP. Taylor’s jump shooting motioned has smoothed out and become much more consistent, which was arguably his biggest swing skill as a strong 2-way wing that plays incredibly hard. Taylor hit movement 3s, threw down a rim-rattling putback in traffic, hit the offensive glass to close out a few big possessions late in the game, and was very active on the back line of SJC’s ball pressure-heavy schemes. Loved his assertive play in a matchup with team that prides itself on its physicality.

The potential for a breakout summer continues to build for Taylor, who at 6-foot-5, possesses some of the most violent vertical athleticism that you’ll find in the 2027 class for a player his size. He’s built like a linebacker, but has the mobility, foot speed and power that is unlike any other prospect in the DMV. His rim activity is something that demands your attention and he uses his two-foot jumping ability to abuse rims on dump-off passes or lobs. What was even more encouraging to see both for Team Melo and Taylor’s stock as a college prospect was stepping out beyond the arc and knocking down a handful of three’s on the weekend.

If this theme becomes more consistent, there will be more reason for college programs to overlook his ‘lack of size’ as a forward. He’s a versatile, strong player who can impact winning at a level that many others cannot when competing against him.

He averaged 17PPG, 10.5RPG, 3APG and 2 stocks (steals + blocks) per outing.

Taylor took the floor looking like he was out to prove a point. There was a sense of intent that he brought to violently snagging rebounds above the rim and finishing strong with two hands on the offensive end that just brought more of a ferocity than anyone else on the floor. This isn’t to say that Taylor never brings this type of edge, but it fueled him to dominate this scrimmage in the paint and if its a sign for what’s to come on a consistent basis, there are going to be a slew of college programs vying for his services. While the majority of his impact took place inside, the 6-foot-5 forward also took the time to show off a cleaner, more confident release from three as he buried one in a drive-and-kick scenario from the right wing. If he wasn’t finishing the job himself, Taylor was bullying his way to the rim off a couple bounces and forcing the defense to collapse before zipping passes to teammates spotting up. Really good showing from Taylor, who could easily find himself back in the top-10 in the next rankings update.

Jordan Taylor’s otherworldly athleticism was a huge factor, and he dominated the glass. Another thing that he brought was that he did an outstanding job the few times he was switched on Jordan Smith Jordan Smith 6'1" | SG Robinson | 2028 State VA . St. John’s has good defensive personnel with their athleticism and ability to switch, and Jordan Taylor is a good example of that. Jordan had 14 points and 15 rebounds in the final and finished with double-digit boards in both games.

It’s been a bit of an up-and-down year thus far for Taylor since transferring in from Bishop McNamara (MD), and while he struggled in the scoring column on Saturday, Taylor was still key toward holding off a high-octane Clinton Grace team for a big win. With a consistent ability to play bigger than his size thanks to a powerful frame and explosive leaping ability, Taylor grinded his way to 10 rebounds, including 6 on the offensive end that created a series of key extra possessions. He was also effective defensively against a smaller Clinton Grace team. Most important towards his long-term projection, Taylor looked comfortable on a pair of spotup 3s, converting on one of them to go along with a smooth elbow turnaround as he works to expand his game out toward the perimeter. He’s a clear D1 prospect but his level will largely be determined by how that development progresses over the course of time.

Taylor maintains his stay in the top-10 despite some hurdles here to start his junior campaign. He’s one of the more explosive athletes playing off two feet and can command the rim similar to a player who is 6-foot-8 rather than 6-foot-5. His finishing around or above the rim has remained strong, but we are still waiting on some signs of a game from 15-feet and out as he’ll need to develop that aspect to produce at the Division I level. He’s a strong-framed forward who can use his strength and athleticism to guard 2-5 at the high school level. His production and overall development will be an x-factor to St. John’s competing for a potential WCAC title this season.