2012 Tech Offer - Brandon Taylor

According to Raphielle Johnson of NBEbasketball.com, Billy Gillispie has offered Trenton Catholic Academy and Team Philly power forward Brandon Taylor.  Taylor’s Team Philly point guard Maurice Watson also holds a Tech offer.  Taylor is a class of 2012 power forward who is listed at 6’6 by Yahoo and 6’8 by Team Philly and ESPN.  Taylor has recently picked up an offer from Miami to go along with offers from Drexel, Penn State, Maryland, and Siena.  And obviously the Red Raiders.

Taylor patterns his game after Dirk Nowitzki and his hair style after Terran Petteway and pre-buzz Jordan Goodman.  He is a physical and mobile player who is a mismatch for most bigs because of his ability to shoot from the outside.  However, Taylor is not your typical jump shooting high school big man.  He is listed at 235lbs and described as physically developed.  So unlike many high school bigs who develop a jumper because they are not strong enough to bang inside, Taylor has the ability to throw his weight around inside as well.

 

An obvious and predictable trend that is developing in the early stages of the Gillispie era:  heavily recruiting the northeast.  Although Coach Walker has many contacts throughout Texas, it is obvious that he has developed contacts throughout the northeast in his time at Villanova.  Until the staff is rounded out (preferably with someone with deep Texas connections) and even after it is, I would look for Walker and Gillispie to continue to put an emphasis on the northeast, particularly Philadelphia.  And I also suspect that, despite their abnormally large 2011 class, Gillispie and Co have about as many offers extended for the class of 2012 as any staff in the country.

Here is a youtube video of Team Philly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crgSSWNUZiE

I suggest skipping to 1:25 to avoid a whole lot of nothing and then you can see Watson and Taylor executing a pick and pop culminating with a Taylor game winning 3 pointer.  Taylor is number 34 with the hair and Watson is the little guy, number 4. 

Photo courtesy of Team Philly