Monday, July 14, 2008

Taylor Commits to Pittsburgh

Fresh off of an outstanding couple of weeks at a variety of camps and tournaments, five-star recruit Dante Taylor has announced his commitment to Pittsburgh.

The story was first reported by Dave Telep of Scout.com, and verified through a text message to NBE Basketball Report.

“Pitt was there from the beginning when I didn’t have a big name,” the National Christian Academy (Md.) prospect told Scout.com.

When I spoke to him at the Reebok Summer Classic on Saturday at Rider University, Taylor said he was looking for a place where he would feel comfortable.

“I want a program where I can fit in,” Taylor said. “I’m also going to look at the percentage of players that they send to the NBA, and a place where it’s like a family.”

The Greenburgh, N.Y. native chose the Panthers over Memphis, Kansas, Syracuse, Villanova and a host of other schools, including Connecticut and West Virginia. On Saturday, he said that he did not have a favorite and was not likely to make his decision until midseason of his high school campaign.

Ranked No. 18 by Scout.com and No. 23 by Rivals.com, Taylor is a 6-9 forward with a nice array of skills offensively. He can really score the ball and is a difficult match-up problem for most defenders due to his athleticism and ability to take players his size off the dribble. Taylor is an aggressive player who loves to attack the lane. He can also score in the paint and runs the floor very well. He has outstanding leaping ability and can finish extremely well around the rim. Taylor has the ability to score facing the rim or with his back to the basket. Defensively, he can block shots and he is also very active on both the offensive and defensive boards.

“I can play hard everyday,” Taylor said. “I can score and can do certain stuff that other big men can’t do. I’m a big-time player.”

When asked about his strengths and weaknesses, Taylor said: “I love running the floor, but I need to work on my three-point shot.”

According to various reports, Taylor played very well at the NBA Top 100 camp, and was also one of the better players at the Lebron Skills US Skills Academy. At the Summer Classic, Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon intently watched Taylor and nearly half of the Big East schools were in attendance for National Christian’s “scrimmage” against New Heights 2010.

Taylor announced his commitment at the Triple S Harley Davidson Shootout at West Virginia University. He will also attend the AAU Nationals in Orlando, Fla. at the end of July.

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