Taylor, Copeland Teaming Up at IMG is Great for Syracuse Basketball
Two Syracuse commits are headed south to wrap up their high school careers, and that is tremendous news for the Orange basketball program. Shooting guard commit Justin Taylor announced his decision to transfer to IMG Academy for his senior season, and will join point guard Quadir Copeland at the school. Copeland announced his transfer back in April.
"Quadir and I can't wait to starting playing together and build this chemistry before we even get to Cuse," Taylor said.
Both Taylor and Copeland will join the Syracuse program in the summer of 2022. They will play for the Orange beginning the 22-23 season. Joining forces at IMG before that begins gives them a leg up on learning how to play together, play off of one another and developing on-court chemistry. Having a full year to help hit the ground running when they arrive will only benefit the Syracuse basketball program.
Backcourt mates can play a large role on successful teams. Taylor and Copeland want to be a big part of the future of Syracuse basketball. They can start those building blocks at IMG.
The two already have an established relationship. Taylor and Copeland have gotten to know each other throughout the recruiting cycle. They spoke about the process, and Taylor helped recruit Copeland to Syracuse after Taylor committed. The next step is taking that relationship and turning it into success on the court.
IMG Academy is one of the better high school basketball programs in the country. They play a difficult schedule and have several of their players go to division one programs each year. That includes Benny Williams to Syracuse last year as Williams played for the post-grad program (IMG has both undergrad and post-grad basketball programs. Taylor and Copeland will also play for the post-grad squad). The coaches at IMG know how to prepare elite talent for immediate contribution at the high major level.
The level of competition and development at IMG will benefit both Taylor and Copeland individually as well as collectively. It is the perfect spot to work on their on-court relationship. That should prove fruitful for Syracuse.