Jason Taylor, Edmond-raised basketball player and three-time NAIA All-American, was recently inducted to the Oklahoma Christian University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Among a multitude of memories, Athletic Director Curtis Janz said one that sticks out in his mind is when Taylor won the NAIA champion of character award.
“The greatest attribute Jason had was his leadership,” Janz said. “From the first day on campus he was a leader: a leader on the basketball team, a leader in athletics and a leader on campus. He is the person that embodies what we talk about when we say learning to compete academically, athletically, socially and spiritually.”
Taylor is third on Oklahoma Christian’s all-time scoring list and set the single-season scoring record with 777 points in 2008-09. He was also the Sooner Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2009.
Taylor said the atmosphere of Oklahoma Christian made his collegiate career worthwhile as a student-athlete.
“I truly enjoyed every second at OC while I was a student-athlete there,” Taylor said. “Through everyone I met, classes I attended, activities on campus and the friends I made there, I could not have asked for a better college experience. I received an incredible amount of support from faculty and staff as well as from the student body.”
Men’s Basketball Head Coach Dan Hays, who recently coached his final game for the Eagles, is responsible for Taylor’s achievements, according to Taylor.
“I pretty much owe all my successes to Coach Hays,” Taylor said. “He is the one that pushed me to be better every year, put me and my teammates in situations to succeed, and gave me the chance to play the game I love at the college level.”
Even when Taylor wasn’t performing as a star-athlete for the team, he said Hays continued to encourage him and help him build his potential.
“Coach Hays was there for me in the best and worst of times. He was there when I was coming off my knee injury my freshman year, and he was there when I was going through a shooting slump. He was always there for me and I love him and thank him for that.”
In an interview with Oklahoma Christian Sports Information Director Murray Evans, Taylor said his high school head coach at Edmond North High School, Ralph Nigro, also contributed to his success as an athlete.
“The way he prepared us in practice and prepared the team from a coaching standpoint, I felt very prepared mentally for the college game,” Taylor said to Evans. “We ran the five-out offense in high school and I learned to play the wing and make good cuts, make those guard-type movements and bring the ball up and I was comfortable with that.”
Taylor is one of only two players in Oklahoma Christian history to be a three-time NAIA All-American and the only player ever to receive consecutive first-team All-American Honors.
Taylor graduated from Oklahoma Christian with a finance degree in 2011 and spent time working with Chesapeake Energy and recently moved to Kansas with his wife, Jordan and two children to work for Garmin International Inc.
Taylor said he credits many of his successes and morals and spiritual life choices to his time at Oklahoma Christian.
“Oklahoma Christian pushed me spiritually more than anything else,” Taylor said. “It allowed me to truly grow as a Christian and gave me the opportunity to meet mentors and friends that I will keep for life.”
According to Taylor, Oklahoma Christian pushed him more spiritually than athletically.
“I had a lot of fun playing basketball, but the thing I am most thankful for is the growth spiritually I was able to obtain due to the community there at Oklahoma Christian,” Taylor said. “I have said this many times before, but Oklahoma Christian felt like home from day one and I truly would not trade those five years for anything.”
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