Nov. 19, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" Nittany Lion basketball coach Patrick Chambers knew that Brandon Taylor had the personality to be a leader for the team.
But prior to the 2015-16, Taylor didn't need to exude his leadership skills. Instead, he leaned on the likes of Tim Frazier and D.J. Newbill to be the main voice in the locker room.
But that changed when the Nittany Lions capped off their three-day run at the Big Ten Tournament. Taylor walked off the floor in Chicago's United Center knowing that from that day forward, he needed to step up and become one of the central figures that the team counted on.
"I think it's always been there for him," Chambers said. "In certain ways, he's been vocal over the past couple years, but he always had that guy to take the torch. This year, he prepared for it."
The driving force behind his mindset on the floor and his role in leading the team with fellow captain Donovon Jack is his confidence. Taylor believes in the hard work that has carried him to this point in his career, both on and off the floor.
His efforts in Tuesday's win over DePaul were living proof of that. Taylor battled foul trouble through much of the first half and didn't have any opportunities to score the basketball.
"There have been times before when I get in foul trouble and don't play long stretches, I tend to wander off and not stay in the game even though I'm not actually in the game," said Taylor. "So I think I did better job of staying focused and my teammates did a great job of finding me and giving me the ball."
Despite limited minutes, Taylor stayed locked in until his opportunity came in the final seconds of the first half. The senior forward drilled a triple from the top of the arc at the buzzer, and he never looked back from there.
"I mean that three is when I told myself that I needed to step my game up, even though I missed most of the first half," said Taylor. "So you know I just tried to be a leader and I thought about a lead in scoring or with rebounding. I just tried to find a way to make an impact on the game."
Taylor stormed out of the locker room with two more long balls and a turnaround jumper. In all, he scored 11 straight tallies for the Nittany Lions en route to 22 points in a span of 20:02 of game time.
"I was really impressed with his second half and his communication throughout," said Chambers. "It's easier when you're making shots but I felt like he was doing it in the second half as well."
When he plays with confidence, Taylor is a matchup nightmare for opponents. He can stretch a defender to the perimeter with his outside shooting ability, but he's also been very effective with his back to the basket and when he's put the ball on the floor during the first two games. Taylor believes the ball is going into the basket every time it releases from his hand.
"I think those habits start in practice and Coach [Chambers] giving us the confidence to take those shots. I've never, in my four years of being here, heard Coach yell at me or yell at Shep [Garner], or anybody for taking a shot," said Taylor. "Even if it is a bad contested one, he wants us to take those shots and he wants us to be confident."
With a 2-0 mark, Taylor and the Nittany Lions head to Pittsburgh on Friday for a matchup against Duquesne at Consol Energy Center (7 p.m.). Chambers wants to see the team continue to take a step forward.
"We are focused on us trying to get better from the last two games," said Chambers. "We have been watching things very closely to see how we can get better on both ends of the floor and on special teams. We got some shots up. We have some end of game situations in."
Led by head coach Jim Ferry, Duquesne enters the game with a 2-0 record after two high-scoring games to open the season. The Dukes are averaging 95.5 points per game after wins over Seton Hill (96-71) and New Orleans (95-75). Duquesne has made 20 3-pointers in two games and is shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc. Guard Micah Mason is averaging 21.5 points per game and has made eight triples this season.
"They have a lot of weapons, and it creates a different challenge," said Chambers. "It's going to create a very difficult matchup for us. We have to be really disciplined. We have to be able to get to shooters and somehow get them out of rhythm. They are going over 90 points and playing with a ton of confidence."
Penn State returns home for a pair of games in the Bryce Jordan Center next week beginning on Tuesday when the Lions meet Radford at 6 p.m.