"When I'm on the court I just want to come out and be relaxed and play my game, try to get my team involved and do whatever I can to win," says Marcus Taylor, a 6-3 guard from Waverly High School in Lansing, Mich.
Relaxed is an understatement for a player of this caliber. He is the top-ranked point guard in the nation and averages 21 points, 5 assists, and 6.4 boards a game.
| |  | | Taylor (right) has drawn comparisons to Magic Johnson. |
Taylor is a rare breed of superstar athlete who's articulate, friendly, and plays for the love of the game. "I just love playing the game whether or not I get to the top level to make money," he says. "It's not about money right now, but I think a lot of guys think about money now, and think about skipping college. I just want to get my education first and then play basketball."
Taylor wants to play college ball even more than making a million dollars. "I would have to turn (going pro) down. I'm going to get my education first, no matter what. I feel if I go to college, maybe I'll get $5 million, so I don't want to waste my chances," he said.
His father, James, agrees that a college education is a top priority, and the two don't even discuss a career in the NBA.
Taylor is headed for Michigan State University -- otherwise, someone influential, a person named Earvin "Magic" Johnson, might be a little upset. Johnson even offered to retire his old jersey number, 32, if Taylor wanted to wear it for the Spartans. Johnson announced his wishes in the MSU basketball facility in front of 17,000 people. "I am so happy that I chose Michigan State," he said. "I am going to tell Marcus, wherever you are in here, you make sure you stay right here at home."
Phil Odlum, the head basketball coach at Waverly, felt just as excited as Taylor. "Seventeen thousand people erupted; it was nuts," says Odlum. "I looked at Marcus and all he could do is have that little grin on his face. He's so humble, it's almost like he was embarrassed, but believe me, what a thrill for a young man."
Taylor and Johnson have developed a special relationship over the years. Taylor was just 10 years old when they met at basketball camp. Taylor's dad and Johnson's dad also worked together and the two families became close. Intrigued by Johnson, Taylor decided one day at camp that he would introduce himself to Magic. "I was so small," he says, "that I didn't even know who he was but then, my dad told me, 'That's that guy you watch on TV every Saturday or Friday.' I told the people at school the next day, 'I met Magic Johnson.'"
Taylor has the flash that Magic had, but he's the first to keep it simple. He plays with more of an old-school style and doesn't overuse his fancy passes or dunks for the crowd's attention. "There's a certain part of the game where you have to be serious and you have to make the right pass instead of the flashy pass because it might cost you the game," says Taylor. "I always think of quality before flashiness."
"Coaches who come to watch him play are in awe," says Odlum, "as I am every day in practice, that he can throw the ball to open people and there's nothing flashy about it. He keeps it simple; that's a great knack a lot players don't have."
"(Marcus) used to go to camp, 5 Star and win MVP, and he'd come home and wouldn't tell anybody," says James Taylor. " I thought, 'Man, that's special.'"
Taylor's parents provide a positive inspiration for their son. They continue to support him at all of his basketball games.
Taylor has put forth a lot of effort and is blessed with natural talent. However, he doesn't let all of his success get to his head. "As far as a complete, overall basketball player, there's no doubt in my mind Marcus Taylor has been by far the greatest player," says Odlum. "When you see him walk the halls he's not causing attention to himself, he's just an average high school kid who's just a great great basketball player."
According to some observers, Taylor could be the next Magic Johnson, but he considers himself to be a normal kid.
"I'm just a regular guy," he says. "I just hang out with my friends, and do all of the things basic kids do -- I just happen to be good at basketball. A lot of people might think, 'Well, all he does is play basketball,' but that's not true, I just try to be myself. I have a lot of fun on and off the court, so I just think I am a normal person who has a good time everywhere I go."
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