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SALT LAKE CITY — For better or for worse, Brandon Taylor has had a love-hate feel with his senior season.
As an experienced four-year guard in head coach Larry Krystkowiak's system, Taylor was expected to hit the ground running his senior season and pick up where Utah left off following its Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season. But without all-purpose guard Delon Wright by his side, Taylor struggled early in the season to have an impact on the team, particularly on offense.
Statistically speaking, Taylor is having his worst season on offense at Utah in four years. He is shooting 40.2 percent from the field, 80.0 percent from the free-throw line and 34.4 percent from behind the arc, and a true shooting percentage (54.1 percent) and effective field-goal percentage (51.4 percent) that is the lowest of his Utah career. He's even got a higher turnover percentage (20.2 percent) than any other season before that except his freshman year (22.1 percent).
Add to Taylor's struggles on offense the missed free throws at Stanford at the beginning of Pac-12 play and the bizarre foul at the end of the Oregon State game to give the Beavers a win and his normally upbeat personality and ever-present confidence dipped to an all-time low.
"I just think at a point in the season, I was really at a low point," Taylor explained. "I was at a very low point and my confidence was shot. I wasn't believing in my shot."
Taylor said he talked with Krystkowiak and other members of the coaching staff, in addition to close family members, in an effort to regain a sense of confidence to a season he knew was going south fast. He said he had to come to the realization, though, that the team needed him and that he was simply needed to "make the best plays possible."
Krystkowiak said Taylor's character and work ethic pulled through and showed the type of leader he's always been to the Utah basketball program.
"He's in the middle of a couple plays this season that might have finished somebody else off if you're not the kind of character and caliber kind of person that he is," Krystkowiak said.
"If there is one guy on our team that I wouldn't bet against bouncing back, it would be Brandon," he added. "And I told him that the Lord didn't put these mishaps in front of him thinking he couldn't handle it. He's been tremendous. He hasn't given up, and I couldn't feel better for the guy."
Throughout his struggles, Taylor has remained steadfast in his responsibility as a team leader and one the players draw upon for motivation and understanding as a veteran player at Utah. Amid a rough start to conference play, Taylor kept an upbeat perspective.
"We've been going through some bumps and bruises early in the season, but I'd rather it be now than later," Taylor said shortly after Utah's 0-2 start to conference play. "It's really just a matter of not thinking too much. Whether shots go down or shots miss, you've got to have the right mindset and keep approaching the game the same way you have been approaching it and just play free."
Even as Utah racked up turnovers from careless guard play, which included a high amount of turnovers from Taylor, Krystkowiak stood by his senior and allowed him to work through the struggles as a team leader. The ebb and flow of the season resembled that of Taylor's progress his final year, but all of it helped to make the team and Taylor more resilient and experienced.
On Saturday, everything came together for the senior as he led Utah with 19 points in their first win over Arizona since 1998. Taylor's 3-pointer late in the game capped off an impressive individual bounce back and fight to finally claim a highly coveted victory over Arizona and an opportunity to win at least a share of the Pac-12 title.
"It took me four years, but it's better late than never," Taylor said after the game. "Arizona is one of those teams, I don't care who they have on their roster, it's a good win for our program. We've never beat them, and for me personally never beating them, it just feels great to win on our home floor.
"I was poised in my mind, and I think the good players in those situations, that's where you get comfortable," he added. "I think that's where I've gotten comfortable these last few games in those situations. You don't get rattled. The great teams, in those situations are comfortable and you get things under control and you try to make the right play."
Krystkowiak said watching Taylor fight through his struggles this season has been "darn cool," particularly to see him bounce back and play an instrumental role in one of Utah's biggest games in Krystkowiak's tenure at Utah.
"He's been tremendous. He hasn't given up and I couldn't feel better for the guy," Krystkowiak said. "He didn't win the game for us, and he didn't win the game for us the other night in USC or UCLA, but he's sure been a big catalyst and just true to his nature that he's never given up. It's really darn cool and it's neat to see for him to be able to get some of that taste out of his mouth and enjoy the tail end of his senior year."
To Taylor's credit, he's even made an offensive turnaround and is now averaging 10.6 points per game while shooting 43.3 percent in conference play.
Taylor has always been the heart and soul of the team. His passion and love of the game is unmatched and there's no one that works harder to help the team get better. He's given his all for the basketball program, the university and the fans who continue to root for his and the team's success.
Related:
Arizona victory more than a confidence boost for Utah
When Utah joined the Pac-12 it was almost exclusively for its football program. The basketball history and previous success was nice to tout as a talking point, but it was far from being a viable asset in a top conference.
