KC-area point guard commits to Wichita State

Wichita State men’s basketball coaches told Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy coach A.W. Hamilton they needed a guard.

He had one, a player already familiar with WSU and one whom Hamilton thinks can grow into a special player. On Sunday, point guard Tyrone Taylor gave WSU a non-binding commitment to conclude his visit to campus. Taylor, from Grandview, Mo., earned All-Class 4 honors in Missouri last season and was one of five finalists for the DiRenna Award as the top player in Kansas City.

Taylor (6-foot-3, 165 pounds) canceled a visit to UTEP.

“This is the place for me,” he said. “I love the fact that they’re a winning program. I honestly trust in the coaches and believe I’ll get better here.”

Wichita State is setting up its backcourt of the future with a Kansas City flavor.

Taylor is the second guard to commit to WSU, joining Landry Shamet of Park Hill (Mo.). Both plan to sign in November. Rivals.com ranks Taylor a three-star prospect. Shamet, who committed earlier this month, is ranked No. 87 nationally by Rivals.com.

Hamilton, who sent freshman forward Rashard Kelly to WSU, sees Taylor fitting in perfectly. He describes Taylor as a good outside shooter who can also drive and score in the lane. On defense, he sees Taylor developing into a full-court pest who will make life miserable for opposing guards.

“He can score in bunches,” Hamilton said. “He’s probably one of the fastest and quickest players in the country. He’s got a chance, in a couple of years, to be the best defensive player in the country.”

Taylor’s interest in WSU began when he attended a camp as a sophomore and former assistants Chris Jans and K.T. Turner recruited him during high school at Grandview. WSU’s interest in him picked up again over the summer and assistant coach Steve Forbes recently traveled to Hargrave.

“They came and saw me and fell back in love,” Taylor said.

Taylor visited over the weekend and committed to coach Gregg Marshall and assistant coach Greg Heiar in his hotel at breakfast before leaving town.

On Saturday, Taylor played pickup basketball and paid particular attention to guards Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker.

“I’d get caught up in watching them and trying to learn,” he said. “They have the best backcourt in the nation.”

His visit also included watching the guards practice.

“They really go at each other,” he said. “That definitely impressed me. You can tell why they’re great like they are, because they practice hard.”

Taylor describes himself as a scoring point guard. He wants to spend his year at Hargrave adding weight and preparing for college basketball.

“Physically, my body wasn’t mature enough,” he said. “I needed an extra year to get stronger.”

Hamilton is already seeing changes.

“Since we’ve had him, he’s gained six pounds,” he said. “He’s working harder than he’s ever worked in his life. By the time he leaves, he’ll put on 10-15 pounds and he’ll have a different looking body.”

This story was originally published September 28, 2014 at 1:22 PM with the headline "KC-area point guard commits to Wichita State."