Before this video, I had no idea who Raymond Taylor was. Never heard of him. Couldn’t put a game to the face either. So I did some research and found out he plays for Florida Atlantic University – not exactly a hot bed of talent, but D-I nonetheless – and is a 5-6 junior point guard this season. Need more? He averaged 14 and six as a freshman, the six assists a game (technically it was 5.9) good for 11th in the nation (which is hilarious viewing some of the top YouTube comments where idiots claim a guy like this is one of the worst types to play with because he won’t pass). Through 11 games so far this year, he’s averaging 9.5 points and 5.5 dimes a night. But all that isn’t really why you clicked on this story is it?
What’s funny about this whole situation is that I actually did see Taylor play when he was a senior in high school. It was at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass. and he was playing for American Heritage out of Florida. His backcourt mate was Kenny Boynton, now a star Gator, and Boynton probably took 35 shots that afternoon against some overmatched local team. He was the player I was checking out, and I barely noticed the tiny fly next to him whipping all over the court in a controlled frenzy: getting steals, layups, threes… Now he’s putting in work at the next level and playing for Mike Jarvis.
Last week, we proclaimed that Tyreke Evans had the nicest handles in the L. That was probably accurate, if we’re talking about playground “Oh no…did you just see that?” moves. It could be the same with Taylor, who seems to be able to do everything but shoot (He’s shooting 34 percent this season.). Even if it is, it’s still fun to watch.
I’ve never paid much attention to Florida Atlantic. Even with a pedestrian 4-7 record, I’m gonna have to now.
Who do you think has the nicest handles in college ball?
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