Taylor adds new basketball skills from football field

Alex Taylor saw the pocket down the court, launched his arm back and fired a one-hop pass that resulted in an assist.

It seemed like an innocuous basketball play during Southeast High School’s 73-45 victory against Dunedin in Monday’s regular-season opener at home. But it’s something Taylor didn’t have in his repertoire last winter.

So what changed for the 6-foot-5 junior? His foray into football this past fall. As a quarterback, Taylor spent several hours studying film and soaking up instruction on how to survey the field.

It’s translated into success on the hardwood almost immediately after the Noles exited the Class 5A state football playoffs in the first round a couple of weeks ago.

“I’ve been able to pass a little, but (Monday) everything opened up and it seemed easier,” Taylor said. “Because football, it’s 11 people and now it’s just five. It’s way easier.”

Southeast head coach Floyd Watkins said Taylor also brings leadership and toughness over from the football field.

Taylor agreed with those assessments, and pointed to football’s physical nature as a change entering this basketball season. A three-year varsity starter in basketball, Taylor said he was timid last year. This season, he’s showing a no-fear attitude on the court.

On Monday, he snagged a team-high 15 rebounds to go with his game-high 18 points.

“Football really opened me up, because it made me more aggressive as a player, too,” Taylor said. “... It really helped me attack the glass.”

To prepare for his return to basketball shape, Taylor has spent time logging extra practice hours at the Manatee County Police Athletic League outside of team practices. And those hours are spent running and working on shooting through various drills.

“I have situational things,” Taylor said. “They’ll put me in a certain situation and I have to escape out of it, and create a shot on my own.”

Taylor wasn’t the only Nole to excel Monday. Amin Marshall added 17 points, six assists and eight rebounds, and Cedric Brooks chipped in 10 points and six boards in a district contest that was never close. It’s a reversal of how Southeast played prior to Monday. Watkins’ group lost two preseason games a year after winning the program’s first district title since 2010.

However, those losses to Plant City and Riverview are a distant memory for Watkins following Monday’s performance.

“That’s really the last chance you really get to see certain combinations ... and at the end of the day, 1-0, I forgot about the preseason already,” Watkins said.

Taylor is also not the only football player to return to the fold. Running back Qion Burch and offensive lineman Devin Logan played Monday, too. In the past, Southeast’s football players didn’t make it back to basketball until December. But more recently, the football players have transitioned back to basketball earlier and it’s helped the team’s cohesion and chemistry.

“Having those guys, it allows us to settle in terms of continuity,” Watkins said. “We don’t have to necessarily ... keep waiting for people come. From year to year, it’s different. Last year, we only had one football player that came out. And he ended up getting to play a lot. He showed up and was the 16th man, and he played in every game except two. So it depends on what year you’re talking about.”

This story was originally published November 21, 2016 at 9:39 PM with the headline "Taylor adds new basketball skills from football field."