Matt Taylor, a senior standout at Bowling Green High School, has signed a letter of intent to continue his education and his basketball career at Mount Vernon Nazarene College, an NAIA Division II school in Mount Vernon, Ohio.
Taylor, a 6-foot-5 forward, averages 21.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game for the Bobcats, who are currently in second place in the Northern Lakes League. He recently became only the fourth player in BGHS history to top the 1,000-point plateau, and he is currently third on the school's all-time scoring list. (He needs just 82 more points to become the school's career scoring leader and he has at least four games remaining.)
As a junior, Taylor, who has been a three-year starter for the Bobcats, was selected to the All-NLL First Team, the Wood County First Team, and the All-District Second Team. He has been the team's leading scorer and rebounder for each of the past three seasons, and he has played all five positions this year.
"Matt is a versatile player who can play inside or out on the perimeter," said MVNC head coach Scott Flemming. "He is very strong taking the ball to the basket. I see him playing primarily at the power forward or wing position at the college level. He has been asked to play some point guard for his high school team this year which will definitely help prepare him to play the college game. Matt is a great young man who I believe will be a very good fit in our program and our college."
"During my visit to MVNC, I was made to feel welcome and special," said Taylor about his choice. "All of the students, faculty, and staff that I met were friendly and genuinely concerned about me as a person. I really like the family atmosphere at Mount Vernon."
"While watching the Cougars play, I was impressed with their unselfish style of basketball," Taylor added. "I like how they run the court, attack the basket on offense, and apply pressure defense. All of the players seem to get along very well and are very supportive of each other. They really made me feel like part of the team. I am looking forward to playing with them and I hope that I can help MVNC continue its winning tradition."
The Cougars are currently 24-4 overall and ranked #2 in the latest NAIA Division II national poll. MVNC is in second place in the American Mideast Conference with an 11-3 conference mark. The team will close out the regular season with a road game at the University of Rio Grande on Thursday, February 18, and a home game against Geneva College on Saturday, February 20.
Taylor, who carries a 3.0 grade point average, plans to major in Marketing at MVNC.
