St. Anne's-Belfield Class of 2022 swingman Justin Taylor has wrapped up his recruitment, and while some figured the Charlottesville area product may play for the local school at the next level in the ACC in UVA, that wasn't to be the case. Instead, Taylor - who starred on the travel circuit for Nike-based Team Takeover - will trade in that orange uniform to play for the same color at Syracuse, led by Hall of Fame Coach Jim Boeheim.
Taylor, a 6-foot-6 wing, has a pure jumper from three-point distance with a nice release and gets excellent elevation on that shot. Furthermore, he's a much better athlete than some might think, can score beyond off the catch with the ability to use a couple dribbles to create shots, and is a very willing passer. Within the past year, his confidence has grown significantly in his total offensive package as a player.
Some liken Taylor to one of Jim's sons, All-ACC Tournament performer Buddy Boeheim, who headlined Syracuse's surprising run to the Sweet 16 in the 2021 NCAA Tournament as a No. 11 seed. Not only are their games similar, each possessing the skills to catch fire from behind the arc with a competitive streak to boot, but both have physical features that are very much alike.
While Buddy was ranked just No. 43 at his position and outside the Rivals 250 nationally before getting to college, Justin comes in with a bit of a higher profile. Taylor is currently No. 54 overall in the nation and No. 13 at his position, according to Rivals.
Syracuse was able to beat out North Carolina, Indiana, Virginia and Virginia Tech among the five finalists for the star from STAB.
