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SALT LAKE CITY - Looking for basketball players? Look no further than Hollywood, Calif.
Shortly after asking a player from North Hollywood to nullify his scholarship agreement, the Utes signed a point guard from West Hollywood to a National Letter of Intent.
Utah recently asked 6-foot-7 forward Josh Hearlihy to be released from his scholarship commitment. On Wednesday, the Utes signed Brandon Taylor, a 5-foot-10 guard that led Pacific Hills High School to a state championship. (Thanks to Anthony Blackett @ablackett23 for pointing out my error, the Utes still have three open roster spots even with Taylor).
"Brandon's teammates flock to him and love to play with him, and if there is one person on the floor who you want to have that quality, it's your point guard," Utah head basketball coach Larry Krystkowiak said.
The Utes are receiving some national heat over running off Hearlihy. As Yahoo! Sports states, "... rest assured future recruits will be aware of the precedent that has been set."
Whether or not you agree with Krystkowiak's decision, Ute fans should be excited with the addition of Taylor (see video highlights). Taylor has excellent ball handling, with the ability to drive to the basket and seems to always find open teammates with ease. His crossover is pretty fun to watch (4:43-4:53).
Below is the full press release from the U.
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SALT LAKE CITY - Utah men's basketball has signed point guard Brandon Taylor to a National Letter of Intent, head coach Larry Krystkowiak announced Wednesday. A native of West Hollywood, Calif., the 5-foot-10 Taylor led Pacific Hills High School to a state championship this season.
"Brandon has a really good feel for the game of basketball," said Krystkowiak. "He is a tremendous shooter and a natural leader. He's a great floor general, with the ability to score and distribute the basketball. Brandon's teammates flock to him and love to play with him, and if there is one person on the floor who you want to have that quality, it's your point guard."
As a senior, Taylor averaged 19.8 points per game to go with 7.5 assists and 3.8 rebounds per contest. He was named the CIF Div. 4A Player of the Year, the Alpha League Most Valuable Player, the co-MVP of the National Prep Classic and was also the Torrey Pines Tournament MVP.
