INDIANAPOLIS — It was this time last year that former Perry Meridian star Jayden Taylor was dominating on the hardwood for the Falcons, averaging about 25 points per game as a senior.
Fast forward one year, Taylor is now a freshman guard at Butler, playing a key role for the Bulldogs. As soon as the Indy native set foot on campus last summer, it was full steam ahead.
"It’s definitely been a big change," Taylor said. "I feel like biggest thing is physicality of the game and the speed of the game. I’m on my own schedule now, I have to figure out when I’m gonna eat, then I have practice, personal workouts and meetings. I feel like I'm just managing my time and doing everything on my own now."
Family is everything to Taylor and it’s a big reason he chose to play his college basketball so close to home. He committed to Butler early in the process, when he was just a sophomore in high school.
"It’s in the backyard. My whole support system is here. Everyone has just been around, everybody has been involved so I felt it would be wrong to completely leave somewhere and they can’t see me play," he said.
Taylor's family and support system shows up every time he plays. He says he has at least 20 people in the stands every time the Bulldogs play at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
"I've used almost everybody's tickets almost every game because a lot of my teammates are from far," Taylor said.
He has carved out a key role for the Bulldogs. He’s the third-leading scorer on the team right now, averaging nine points per game with 18 starts this season. He said when he first arrived on campus, he received some great advice from grad student Aaron Thompson, who also started as a freshman.
"We worked out and he told me 'get as good as you can as fast as you can' and that stuck with me. It really hit me. Get as good as you can as fast as you can," Taylor said.
It’s been an up-and-down season for Butler, but Taylor believes this team can turn things around if they stick together. And for him, as an Indy native, it’s personal.
"I just love it here, this made me who I am. 317, Indianapolis. That's just where I've been my whole life," he said.