Meet Taylor Statham, another Fil-Am basketball prospect

In the recently concluded NBA Rookie Draft 2014, Filipino hoops fans were abuzz after the Washington Wizards chose Filipino-American Jordan Clarkson of the University of Missouri in the Second Round with the forty-sixth pick.  The Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most storied franchises in basketball history and a favorite of NBA fans in the Philippines, then acquired his rights in exchange for cash.  There are some Fil-Ams currently playing in several pro sports in the US, and, surely, there are more that will emerge in the coming years.

The search for the second player with Filipino blood to suit up in the NBA has been going on since Raymond Townsend, a guard from UCLA, played for the Golden State Warriors and Indiana Pacers back in the late ‘70s to early ‘80s.  Hopefully, Jordan Clarkson can impress the Lakers enough during summer league, get invited to training camp, and be the one.

Another prospect is 6’6 Taylor Statham, 22, an incoming senior at the University of California in San Bernardino (UCSB), a US NCAA Division II university that produced PBA superstar and Gilas Pilipinas mainstay Jimmy Alapag.  Taylor reached out via Twitter recently and was eager to share his story.  While he aspires to perhaps make it to the NBA some day, he is also very interested to enter the PBA D-League this coming September, if he can get his papers in order.  He may also opt to finish his last season at UCSB.  Other future options are the NBA D-League, the PBA or Smart Gilas, presuming he qualifies under FIBA rules.  His grandmother, of Filipino and Spanish descent, was born in Iloilo.

Taylor has always been very active in the very popular Fil-Am leagues in his area and was recently named MVP of the 3Gs World Basketball Filipino-American All-Star game in April 2014.  He also played in the Drew League and the Impact Academy League for professional and high-level college players, where he averaged 28.5 points and 9 rebounds a game last year and was named MVP.

He is not completely unknown in Philippine basketball circles since local scouts continuously look for Fil-American talents, especially in the US.  In fact, colleges and universities like San Beda and National University (NU) have already sent coaches to watch Taylor and offer him a chance to play in the Philippines.  He is also connected to Filipino fans on social media, and follows Philippine basketball closely, with particular attention on Gilas Pilipinas.

Taylor has had to deal with a fractured toe the past few months, which has kept him from playing competitively, but he has spent the time off by trying to prepare for his basketball future by studying the game from the sidelines and helping train around twenty-five other players, both from college and pro leagues outside the US.  One player training under him is his younger brother, Hunter, 17, who is in his final year of High School, and has been recruited by San Beda, NU and the University of the East.

Taylor’s game is multi-faceted.  It’s clear from his highlight video that he has a good shooting touch and passes well.  He prides himself in being versatile and not being known for just one specific basketball talent.  He wants to be known for winning, having a relentless mentality, and the willingness to do whatever it takes to help his team.  He said, “If one night, I have to score thirty points, I’ll score thirty.  If I need fifteen rebounds, I’ll grab fifteen rebounds.  If I have to lock up the other team’s best player, I’ll spend all game stopping him.”  He proudly declared that he spends off-seasons trying to improve facets of his game and trying to add new moves.

He has faith that God will lead him to where he should be.  He was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, and basketball had to take a back seat as he fought the illness and, by all indications, has emerged victorious.  While out, he remained optimistic and continued to watch as much basketball as he could to learn the nuances of the game.

One of Taylor’s former prep teammates, Kiwi Gardner, played for the NBA D-League’s Santa Cruz Warriors (for which Gilas player Japeth Aguilar tried out last year) this past season and has been called up to the Golden State Warriors summer league team, so Taylor feels he can make it to the NBA D-League as well.  Some friends of his, like his High School teammate Maverick Ahamisi (University of Minnesota) and Jawhar Purdy (University of California Stanislaus), are supposed to arrive in the Philippines to play in the PBA D-League this coming season.  Perhaps he’ll follow suit.

Because of his familiarity with the Filipino-style of basketball and his communication with fans from here, he said he is amazed how passionate Filipinos are about basketball.  He loves the fast-paced tempo of games here, and how hard Filipinos play, since he appreciates the value of hard work and outworking and going harder than everyone else to succeed.

I was happy to hear that Taylor is a huge Los Angeles Lakers fan, but was surprised when he told me his favorite player all-time is the Boston Celtics’ Larry Bird.  Not a bad choice at all, but surprising because Larry played for the Lakers’ greatest rivals.  Both Taylor’s parents played college basketball at St Petersburg College in Florida.  His dad, Derek, was a shooting guard who once scored 64 points in a high school game, and his mom, Marty, was a “small forward double-double machine”.  According to Taylor, despite not having any Filipino blood, his dad cooks the best adobo he’s ever tasted.  He is very close to his family and says that they mean everything to him and support him in all his endeavors, basketball or otherwise.

The future for Taylor seems very bright, with several options to choose from.  He intends to visit the Philippines soon.  Should his basketball fate lead him to play here, he would surely be a welcome addition as he has the height and clearly possesses a high level of skill in a sport we love.  Let’s stay tuned and see what happens.

You can follow Charlie on Twitter @CharlieC.