Record-breaking scoring performances always catch my interest, so when I heard about 5’10 Grinnell College’s Jack Taylor’s 138-point performance breaking the NCAA record, I thought it was amazing, until I watched the video. It was incredible, but something was missing.
Highlights:
Taylor is quick and maintains a good dribble under pressure. When Taylor rises up for shots, his stroke is pure like olive oil. In a 179-104 blowout of Faith Baptist Bible, Taylor obliterated the Division III scoring record and even eclipsed the Division I scoring record.
To break the record, Taylor took 108 shots, making 52 of them, an efficient 67% from two-point range, and 38% from three-point range. Overall, he hoisted 136 field goal attempts.
Despite his efficiency, he took 71 three-pointers. 71 three’s is an extraordinary amount of three’s for an entire team in one game. 71 is more than two teams combined shoot from three-point range. That is just not good for team chemistry and flow.
In all those great highlights, you know the one thing you do not see? You don’t see Taylor making any assists. He’s double-teamed, sometimes triple-teamed. Yes, he made some amazing shots, but he ignored wide-out teammates again and again.
Was Taylor’s 138-point game a great performance or a selfish one? Use the comment section to discuss.
Rob S. De France is a College and University Instructor of English Composition living in Los Angeles. He has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Rhetoric and Composition. De France has played, coached, and officiated competitive high school basketball in California for many years. Recently, De France, his wife, and another colleague started an internationally read magazine at Shwibly.com.
