With the 2019 NBA draft taking place tomorrow, we will spend 1 more day taking a walk down memory lane with a choice collection of players who are celebrating an awesome anniversary this year. From a future Hall of Famer selected 2nd overall in 1959 (60th anniversary) through a conference POY picked in the 2nd round in 2009 (10th anniversary), these stars have all seen their dreams come true in past drafts. We conclude our series with former UCF star Jermaine Taylor, the 2009 C-USA POY. After being drafted by Washington in 2009, he spent 2 years in the NBA and has spent most of the past decade playing pro basketball in the US and overseas. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Jermaine about being a great 3-PT shooter and the 10th anniversary of getting drafted.
In high school you played several sports including basketball/football/track and field: which sport were you best at, and how close did you come to accepting a scholarship to play wide receiver at Florida? I was the best at basketball because I have played it the longest but I was recruited for all of those sports. I took basketball seriously and had the most fun with it. Coach Ron Zook actually recruited me to play football for the Gators.
You were recruited by other major schools like Alabama/Penn State/Pitt: what made you choose UCF? They showed me so much love. I always wanted to get to the NBA and I knew that they would give me the opportunity to play right away. They also gave me a chance to play football as well…but I quickly learned that 1 sport was enough.
In the 2007 C-USA tourney Morris Almond made a 3-PT shot with 2.8 seconds left in a 2-PT win by Rice: did you think that his shot was going in, and where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? It was definitely devastating. I looked up to Morris when I was a freshman because he was so good: once the shot went up I knew that it was going in. The worst was my freshman year when Kentucky’s Rajon Rondo made a buzzer-beater against us at Rupp Arena.
You had 251 career 3PM while shooting 37.6 3P%: what is your secret for making shots from behind the arc? You just need to have confidence. I knew that no matter how many shots I missed my coach believed that I would make the next shot so I was able to be free and play my game.
In 2009 you scored 26.2 PPG and were named conference POY: what is the key to being a great scorer, and what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? You need confidence to be a great scorer but you also need to learn when NOT to shoot. When you face a variety of defenses you have to pick your spots. I know how politics work and I know that they wanted to give it to Memphis’ Tyreke Evans. To win it I knew that I would have to play so hard that there was no way they could not pick me: I broke a lot of school records.
In the summer of 2009 you were selected 32nd overall by Washington and then traded to Houston: what did it mean to you to get drafted, and how did it feel to get traded right after getting drafted? Tyreke was drafted #5 even though I was conference POY. Getting drafted is every player’s dream so it was a big accomplishment and something that I always wanted to achieve. Houston actually bought my rights because they had set up a deal in advance with Washington, which surprised me because I did not have a good workout with the Wizards.
You spent several years playing pro basketball overseas: what is the biggest difference between basketball in the US and basketball outside the US? There are a lot of differences: coaching, the way you are treated, etc. It was a big adjustment for me because I had never lived outside the US, but I was fortunate enough to experience the NBA as well as opening up my eyes to a different side of the game.
You played 65 games in the NBA for Houston/Sacramento: what is your favorite memory from your time in the NBA? All of it: getting drafted, being around superstars like Yao Ming/Tracy McGrady and learning from them. I hope to be in their shoes 1 day.
Over the past few years you have made several off-court changes including your diet/workout/sleep schedule/etc.: I know that everyone in the NBA does well on the court but how crucial is it to keep improving off the court? I think that it is even more important than your on-court improvement and I think taking some time off will help me a lot.
You have spent the past few years playing for the Salt Lake City Stars of the D-League: which of your teammates has impressed you the most (Brice Johnson/Marcus Paige/other), and what do you hope to do in the future? Marcus has a great approach to getting better every day and I am trying to teach him some things that I have learned. I just want to show teams that I am healthy and can perform at a high level and I hope that something opens up in the NBA.