Evan Taylor Season 2016-17

Honors

• Team Captain (2017-18)
• Big Ten Sportsmanship Nominee (2017-18)
• Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2017)
• Southern Conference All-Freshman Team (2014-15)

2017-18 (Senior)
Evan Taylor played in all 33 games, including 20 starts, for the Huskers in 2017-18. He averaged 6.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while also defending the opposition’s top perimeter scoring threat.  Taylor enjoyed collegiate career highs in many categories, including scoring, rebounding, assists and shooting percentage. Taylor, who reached double figures seven times, shot 44 percent from 3-point range after shooting just 24 percent as a junior.

He started NU’s first 19 games before coming off the bench for the rest of the season. He responded with a 13-point, five-rebound performance in a one-point win over Illinois on Jan. 15. That move helped jump start NU’s run down the stretch, as the Huskers closed Big Ten action by winning 10 of their last 12 contests.  He played a key role in NU’s wins over No. 23 Michigan with five points, a season-high seven rebounds and three steals, and at Minnesota on Feb. 6 with seven points, including a key 3-pointer to beat the shot clock, and six boards. In the win over Indiana on Feb. 20, Taylor had seven points and seven boards along with two blocked shots in the win over the Hoosiers.

Taylor scored a season-high 16 points, including 7-of-8 from the foul line, and added a team-high four assists vs. UTSA on Dec. 20. In all, the Huskers went 7-0 when Taylor reached double figures in 2017-18. He had 12 points apiece in NU’s first two games and keyed the Huskers’ win over Boston College in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge with 13 points, including 3-of-3 from 3-point range.

2016-17 (Junior)
Taylor was a late addition to the Husker roster, but quickly became vital to NU's rotation. He played in all 31 games, including 21 starts, as he was one of three Huskers to start every Big Ten game. He averaged 5.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, but made a great impact in other ways. Taylor ranked third on the team in both assists (37) and steals (28) and often drew the toughest assignment on defense because of his length and athleticism.  He closed his junior campaign with his best offensive performance, scoring a season-high 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers, in the Big Ten Tournament against Penn State on March 8.

During conference action, he started all 18 games, averaging 5.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game as part of NU's three-guard lineup. He reached double figures five times, including four straight games from Jan. 8-21. Taylor reached double figures for the first time at NU against Northwestern on Jan. 8, finishing with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting and team highs in assists (four) and steals (three). He followed up with 11-point efforts at Michigan and against Ohio State, when he also matched his season-high with eight caroms. At Rutgers on Jan. 21, he finished with 10 points and paced NU in both rebounds (six) and steals (four). His other double-figure effort came at Michigan State on Feb. 23, when he had 10 points and three assists against the Spartans.

During most of non-conference play, Taylor came off the bench before moving into the lineup after a solid performance at No. 3 Kansas on Dec. 10. In that game, he totaled eight points and two assists in 19 minutes. After making his first start against Gardner Webb, Taylor played a critical role in NU's win over Southern on Dec. 20, totaling eight points, a season-high four steals and two assists in an 81-76 win. Prior to that, his biggest contribution came in a two-point win at Dayton on Nov. 24, when he had six rebounds and three assists in 16 minutes off the bench.

Before Nebraska
Taylor spent the 2015-16 season at Odessa (Texas) College, helping the school make its first NJCAA National Tournament appearance since 2001. Taylor started 31 games for Coach Tra Arnold, averaging 7.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in just 17 minutes per contest, as Odessa College finished with a 27-6 mark. He reached double figures 12 times, including a season-high 17 points against New Mexico JC. He had 12 points, five assists and a pair of rebounds in a 92-86 loss to Salt Lake CC in the second round of the NJCAA Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan.

Taylor began his collegiate career at Samford University, playing in 31 contests for the Bulldogs and Coach Scott Padgett. He was selected to the 2015 SoCon All-Freshman Team, as he averaged 6.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while averaging 1.1 steals per contest. Taylor made 15 starts and reached double figures seven times, highlighted by a 21-point effort, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, against Tennessee-Chattanooga.

He attended Paul VI (Va.) Catholic High School, leading the school to a 31-6 record and a VISAA D1 State championship in 2014. He averaged 8.5 points per game as the only senior on the team. He helped Paul VI HS to its second Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title in three years, including a 19-point win over DeMatha High School in the championship game. It marked the school’s only two conference titles since the school was formed. He also helped Paul VI to a runner-up finish at the 2013 City of Palms Classic, considered one of the best high school basketball tournaments in the country. Taylor played his AAU ball with Team Takeover and Coach Morello Vest.

Personal
Evan is the son of Kyle Taylor and Linda Jones and was born on April 11, 1996, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He spent most of his youth in Ohio before moving to Florida at age 13 and eventually transferring to Paul VI Catholic High School. He has two sisters, Brittnei and Aubri. Taylor is majoring in sociology at Nebraska. Evan’s father, Kyle, helped Xavier to an appearance in the 1987 NCAA Tournament.