Initially, Mike Taylor found his fake Facebook account amusing when his girlfriend sent him the link. The person impersonating him posted pictures of Taylor and reached out to his friends as Taylor.
“I liked it at first, like I was famous,” the Boys & Girls standout shooting guard said.
Then, it grew bothersome. The person said he had switched AAU teams, from the Metrohawks to New York Panthers and was leaning toward committing to Rutgers. Neither of which is true, although Rutgers is involved in his recruitment.
(The account has since been taken down).
The 6-foot-3 sharpshooter, who led The High to its first city championship in 31 years back in March, has yet to cut down his list of interested schools. He plans to do so at the end of the summer, take all five of his official visits in the fall, and pick a school by October, before Boys & Girls begins its quest to repeat as PSAL Class AA champion.
Taylor would like to go to a school that offers his desired major (he wants to be a pediatrician), has immediate playing time available, although that’s not a must, and has a coaching staff he gets along with.
He listed Rutgers, South Carolina, South Florida, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Maryland, and Virginia as all possibilities. He has only visited Rutgers and St. John’s, but has no favorites. Once Steve Lavin took over, he placed a call about Taylor, but Boys & Girls coach Elmer Anderson said he hasn’t heard from the Red Storm recently.
“South Carolina, Rutgers and South Florida have been relentless in their pursuit of him in a very positive fashion,” Anderson said. “He’s going to look at it. Mike will be at a good school at the end of the day.”
Taylor is one of many Kangaroos with plenty of Division I looks. Backcourt mate Antione Slaughter, a 5-foot-7 blur of a point guard, has drawn the interest of several mid-major programs such as Marist, Wagner College and Manhattan College, Anderson said. Additionally, forward Jeffland Neverson, a versatile 6-foot-5 rising junior, has heard from Tennessee, Oregon State and St. Joseph’s University.
