General
Drafted 31st by the Charlote Bobcats in the 2012 NBA Draft…Multifaceted, high scoring wing player who has added 25 pounds to his frame since arriving on campus, who was a first-team All-SEC Selection as a senior…Named a second-team All-SEC player in 2010-11 and 2009-10 after being named to the All-SEC Freshman team in 2008-09…Scored 438 points as a sophomore, which ranks eighth all-time on the Vanderbilt sophomore single-season list…Started in all but one game in his Vanderbilt career…Became 41st VU player to surpass 1,000-point mark with 22-point effort vs. Davidson (1/2/11), and is Vanderbilt[apos]s second all-time leading scorer.
2011-12 (Senior):
Named to the All-SEC First Team by the league[apos]s coaches after averaging 16.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in his senior year…Was also named to the All-SEC Defensive team by the league[apos]s coaches – his third consecutive season on the team…Taylor departs Vanderbilt as the school[apos]s second all-time leading scorer with 1,897 points…He is also ranked in the top 10 in rebounds (6th, 752 career rebounds) and in steals (8th, 146 career steals)…Only player in school history to rank in the top 10 in scoring, rebounding, and steals…Finished the season second in league games only in 3FG % at 48.8 (39-80)%…Taylor also finished third in the SEC in league games only in threes made (2.4)…Played in all 134 games in his four-year career, and started in 133 of them…Scored a career-high 30 points at Davidson, and scored 20 or more points in seven games in his senior campaign…At Ole Miss, Taylor scored 28 points with an astounding stat line – 10-15 from the floor, 5-6 from three, 3-4 from charity stripe, nine rebounds, and three assists in only 29 minutes of action… Averaged 20.0 points and 7.5 rebounds against Tennessee and Middle Tennessee State, and was named SEC Player of the Week for his exploits.
2010-11 (Junior):
A preseason All-SEC selection by the media and the league[apos]s coaches, and put on 25 pounds of muscle in the offseason. Taylor has scored in double-digits in 72 career games…Scored in double figures in 26 games as a junior, and had five 20+-point games…Had three double-doubles in 2010-11 (at Missouri, at Auburn, and at LSU)…Averaged 21.7 points per game in three SEC Tournament games…had 21 points and 12 rebounds vs. LSU on 3/10…Was 7-for-11 from the floor against Florida (3/5) and scored 15 points…Scored game-high 20 points at LSU (2/26); also added two rebounds, three assists, and two steals…Grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds at Georgia (2/16)…Tallied 19 points and eight rebounds vs. Alabama (2/10)…Scored 17 points, had eight rebounds, three assists, and three blocks against South Carolina at Memorial Gym (2/5)…Missed the first start of his career at Florida (2/1)..Led the team with 25 points in a win at Mississippi State (1/27)…Tied a team high with 19 points against St. Mary[apos]s (1/22)…was 9-of-10 from free throw line…Scored 15 points, had eight rebounds, and tied a career-high with six assists vs. Ole Miss (1/19)…Tallied 15 points, five rebounds, and three assists vs. Georgia (1/12) – included a dunk which was named SportCenter[apos]s #1 ‘Top Play’ on January 13…Tied for team lead in points vs. SE Louisiana (12/18) with 15 points and led the team with 18 points at MTSU (12/21), 19 vs. Marquette (12/29), and 22 vs. Davidson (1/2)…Was 8-for-12 from the floor against Marquette, and also added eight rebounds, two blocks, and two steals…Tallied first double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds against Missouri (12/8)…Had 16 points and 8 rebounds vs. Belmont (12/4)…Scored a career-high 27 points in season opener against Presbyterian on 11-of-12 shooting.
2009-10 (Sophomore):
Averaged 13.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per game and started in every contest for the Commodores…Scored in double figures in 24 of Vanderbilt[apos]s 33 games, including a career-high 26-point effort against Tennessee in Memorial Gym (2/9)…Was 7-for-11 from the floor against the Volunteers, was a perfect 12-for-12 from the charity stripe, and grabbed seven rebounds… Became the fourth Vanderbilt player to make all of his attempts when attempting at least 10 free throws… Was named SEC Player of the Week for the week of February 8-15 after he averaged 20.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in wins over No. 12 Tennessee and LSU…Led the team in steals…Scored 20 or more points on three other occasions – Lipscomb (11/16), Western Kentucky (12/11), and Tennessee State (12/19)…Posted two double-doubles on the season, a 13-10 effort against Arizona in Maui (11/25) and an 18-point, 11-rebound performance against Missouri (12/2)… One game after making a career-best nine baskets against Western Kentucky, Taylor set a Memorial Gym record by making 10-of-11 field goals (90.9 percent) … The previous record was 90.0 (minimum 10 attempts) by Vanderbilt[apos]s Brett Burrow on Feb .16, 1985 against Tennessee…Had a season-high four assists on three occasions – vs. Mercer (12/21), MTSU (1/4), and at Ole Miss (2/18)…Led the team with 19 points at St. Mary[apos]s (11/20)…Finished with 18 points on (8-of-14 shooting) and four rebounds in win vs. DePaul (12/5)… Posted his fourth straight game in double figures with 12 points (5-of-8 FG) and two assists vs. Illinois (12/8)… Finished with 21 points, on 9-of-12 shooting while pulling down nine rebounds in season-high 35 minutes against Western Kentucy (12/11)… Went perfect 5-for-5 from the field, including 4-of-4 from the FT line to finish with 14 points in win over Florida (1/9)…Notched 16 points, two blocks and two streals in 28 minutes of action vs. USC (1/16)… Scored a team-high 18 points, on 5-of-7 shooting, including 8-for-8 from the line in win against Auburn (1/23)…Tied a career high with four steals against Georgia (2/6)…Notched 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting to go along with six rebounds and four assists in win at Ole Miss (2/18)… Scored a team-high 17 points, (4-of-10 FG), including 9-of-12 at free throw line and 4 rebounds in 29 minutes vs. Kentucky (2/20)…Scored a team-high 18 points (6-of-10 FG), including perfect 6-of-6 from FT line to go along with five rebounds in win at Arkansas (2/27).
2008-09 (Freshman):
Averaged 12.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 0.9 steals per game…Was the fourth highest scoring freshman in the SEC in 2008-09…Led the team in scoring seven times and rebounding on 13 separate occasions…Had three double-doubles in his freshman campaign, and scored in double figures in 21 games…Double-doubles came against MTSU (11/24) – 13 points, 11 rebounds; at Kentucky (1/10) – 15 points, 11 rebounds; and vs. Arkansas (3/8) – 16 points, 10 rebounds…Scored a career-high 23 points at South Carolina (1/28)…Tallied 18 points against Alabama A&M (12/10) and at Mississippi State (1/17)… Tallied a game-high 16 points and five rebounds in first collegiate game against Morehead State … Posted 11 points, six rebounds and three steals in loss to Illinois …Tied previous season-high with 16 pts. vs. C. Arkansas (11/26)…Tallied 15 points and four rebounds in win over Drake (11/29)…Led VU with 14 points and seven rebounds against UIC (12/3)… Posted 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 35 min against Ga. Tech (12/6)…Had a season-high four steals against Kentucky to go along with a double-double…Made a career-best eight made field goals at Mississippi State (1/17)… Scored a career-high and game-high 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting at South Carolina (1/28)… Notched 14 points, nine rebound and season-high five assists effort in win at Auburn (1/31)…Scored 11 points vs. Alabama (2/5)…Tallied 14 points vs. Ole Miss (2/7)… Posted 14-point and eight rebound effort in 31 minutes against Kentucky (2/17)… Recorded six points and pulled down seven rebounds in 32 min. at Florida (2/21)… Notched 17-point, three rebound effort, hitting 6-of-7 field goals in win over South Carolina (2/28)… Led team in points (16), rebounds (10), and assists (6) in win over Arkansas (3/8) – the six assists vs. Arkansas marked a career-high…Scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds in SEC Tournament first round game against Alabama (3/12).
Summer 2008:
Played for Sweden National Team in the Under-20 European Division B Championships, where he averaged 19.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in eight games.
Hobbs High School:
Averaged 30.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.0 blocks, 3.0 steals and 3.0 assists per game in his senior season at Hobbs High School in New Mexico… He is the all-time leading scorer in Hobbs High School history… His Hobbs team claimed the district championship in 2007 and the 5A state championship in 2008… Was an all-state selection in 2007 and 2008, and was named the New Mexico Gatorade Player of the Year in 2008.
Personal:
Jeffery Matthew Taylor… Born May 23, 1989 in Norrkoping, Sweden… Parents are Jeff and Pia Taylor… Taylor[apos]s father, Jeff, played at Hobbs High School and Texas Tech University before playing in the NBA for the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons… His father eventually played professionally in Sweden and still lives there today… Majoring in Sociology…Has two brothers, Marques (14) and Vincent (10), and three sisters, Michaela (22), Melanie (18), and Vanessa (8)… Chose Vanderbilt over UCLA, Texas, Arizona, Kentucky and Gonzaga… Advice to youngsters: ‘Work hard and you can achieve anything.’