Justin Taylor Feels at Home on Second Syracuse Official Visit
Class of 2022 shooting guard Justin Taylor was one of two Syracuse basketball commits on campus over the weekend for an official visit. This was the second official Taylor has taken to SU and he was able to see some different things this time around.
"We watched two practices, which was really good," Taylor said. "When me and Q (Quadir Copeland) and we played with the, it wasn't like a full practice is was more of a scrimmage and watching workouts. This time we were able to watch two full practices to see the daily routine that they go through and how much skill work they do before practices. Then how practice is operated. I thought that was cool just to get a feel for what we would be doing once we get there.
"Going to the football game was a lot of fun just seeing the fan environment. Also during the summer, for our first official, there weren't really any students there. So just seeing the students around campus was really fun."
Taylor said one of the highlights was checking out the game day atmosphere of the Carrier Dome.
"It was really cool," Taylor said. "We went in there on my first official but not with fans. So seeing it with actual fans, packed, just the environment was really, really cool. I can definitely tell it's a basketball school because they're all walking around, tailgating and knew who me and Q were. That was pretty cool. The fan base, I know, is incredible so that was great to see in person, finally."
Just like in the first visit, Taylor spent time with the Syracuse coaching staff.
"Just kind of the same stuff," Taylor said. "Them talking about how excited they are to get us in because I think they think both of us can make an impact early on. I think this weekend wasn't really them recruiting us, it was them celebrating us being committed. Being back on campus as commits. I think that's what this weekend was about. Celebrating that and having a good time with the coaching staff and the players."
Taylor had some key takeaways from observing practice.
"I think the main thing is there's no down time," Taylor said. "Everything is so fluid. It's a ton of player development. I knew that coming in but seeing it in person was really cool. They spend probably half of practice with guards split up and then forwards and bigs. To me that's a super important part of college is getting better and obviously G-Mac is one of the best in college basketball as far as working with guards. That's super important for me and Q coming in, being able to get better with him. So that was awesome to see how much pride they take in player development. How practice operates going from skill development to all the guys coming in and practicing together. That was cool to see."
Overall, Taylor said the visit only enhanced his feeling that he made the right decision.
"It really just solidified," Taylor said. "I know me and Q made the right decision. It just feels like home. I said that on my first official too but just the comfort level and familiarity and relationships I've built with the coaches and players. I think it just feels like home. It definitely solidified that. It was a great time."