Lompoc High School senior basketball guard Michael Taylor is the perfect player to choose as the Sun athlete of the week following Valentine’s Day. When asked about how he came to adopt his fiery and energetic playing style, Taylor can only credit his love for basketball.
“It’s just a love for the game,” Taylor said. “It’s all heart—that’s it.”
Taylor’s all-around dominance on the court has been on display this season for the 15-6 and CIF-bound Braves. His defensive prowess is unmatched and heavily relied on by Lompoc coach Eliot Davis.
“He’s our defensive guy,” Davis said. “If we’re going against a guy we’re trying to slow down, Michael’s our guy.”
Luckily for Taylor, he looks forward to that challenge every game.
“I love locking down the other team’s best player,” Taylor said.
Taylor’s always been a skilled and committed defender, but his coach noted that he’s developed other parts of his game as he’s grown into a senior leadership role.
“He’s improved every aspect of his game, especially his ball handling and finishing around the basket,” Davis said.
Both Taylor and Davis notice his growth off the court as well.
“He’s learned to become a really good teammate,” Davis said. “He brought a lot of intensity to practice that the guys had to match. He pushed himself and his teammates every day. That’s the biggest thing he brought.”
Taylor has appreciated the opportunity to play with a relatively new group of guys this season, with the team graduating multiple seniors last year.
“It’s been great,” Taylor said. “It’s great to get new guys in, and get a new chemistry with other players.”
The Lompoc team has embodied Taylor’s personality so far, winning games with lots of energy and good defense.
“We’re kind of small, so we play a lot more aggressively than other teams and we use defense to win games,” the 5-foot-8 shooting guard said. “That’s what we’re basically about.”
Taylor also played football for Lompoc, and his passions fluctuate with the seasons.
“Right now, basketball’s my favorite sport, but then during football season, football is,” he said.
Taylor’s not looking forward too far in the future in terms of colleges, but he can’t deny it’s somewhat on his mind.
“I’m taking it one day at a time,” he said. “A couple coaches are calling in, but we really have to wait until the season’s over to see if I can actually get anything.”
This article appears in Feb 18-25, 2016.
