Posted by Fran Fraschilla
When coach Tom Crean left Marquette for Indiana last spring, his top recruit, Tyshawn Taylor, decided to look elsewhere, as well, and eventually signed with the Kansas Jayhawks. So far, it looks like Taylor made a good decision.
The former St. Anthony's (Jersey City, N.J.) star averaged only 10 points per game as one of six Division I seniors who helped the Friars to a 32-0 record and the USA Today high school national championship in 2008. In fact, he might have been one of the most underrated players in the country as a senior.
At Kansas, Taylor has already filled a role left by Russell Robinson and Mario Chalmers, two players who helped Bill Self win his first national title. The 6-foot-3 guard has already contributed as a scorer, playmaker and defender.
Often, a player's adjustment to the college level can be traced by how well-coached he was in high school and how demanding his coach was with him. I call it being "hard-coached." Most high school stars are babied and spoiled, and thus their adjustment to the college game is slowed. Rest assured, Taylor was hard-coached by Hall of Famer Bob Hurley, maybe the best pure basketball coach in America. Self is reaping the benefits already.
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