EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — There are likely a lot of Illinois high school basketball teams who still have nightmares about facing Ray'Sean Taylor.
The all-time leading scorer at Collinsville High School's career didn’t go out on the note he wanted, though. His senior year run at a state title was cut short because of COVID-19.
“I was very confident we were about to win. I think we were number one in the state at the time," Taylor said.
But his impact for the Kahoks made him an easy recruit to fall in love with when college came calling.
Taylor had opportunities all over the country to continue his basketball career. But his path led him just 20 minutes north to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
That decision to stay close to home became more important than ever last year. While preparing for his first year with the Cougars, Taylor tore his ACL and it was another year cut short.
“It actually happened in a practice, a summer workout. Me and my teammate collided, and I went down. I thought I was ok, but I went and got the MRI and got the news. I was sad at the time, but I realized that it’s easy to come back from an injury. A lot of people have bigger problems than I do. I just put my trust and God and my mom let me knew I’d be alright," Taylor said.
But even though he couldn't contribute on the court, Taylor still made his presence felt last year.
“He improved our team every single day. He didn’t take a day off. And I mean that, I can say that honestly," SIUE head coach Brian Barone said. "He was at every practice, he was engaged in every practice. Every game he was engaged, he was in every huddle. He was willing to do everything he could to be part of the team even when he didn’t bounce the ball.”
Now, in his delayed freshman season, Taylor has arrived with a vengeance. Averaging near 17 points a game, he is among the leading freshman scorers in the entire country.
“Honestly I was No. 1 at one point… I kind of dropped off a bit," Taylor said.
He still leads his team in most statistical categories, and he’s near the top of every leaderboard in the Ohio Valley Conference. As of Jan. 21, he's averaging 5.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.5 steals and a .336 shooting percentage from three-point range.
Those impressive stats have won him the OVC freshman of the week four times already this season.
His coach is happy to see him leading the team, too.
“He’s a good player and he makes me a better coach. I’m not naïve enough to say that’s not the case. But I'm also happy because of his effort to get back to the court," Barone said.
Taylor has had a special moment or two mixed into his debut season as well, including a buzzer-beater to win SIUE's game against Youngstown State.
“I ended up catching it and as soon as it left my hands I knew it was good. It was fun. It brought the team together. Everybody was happy," Taylor said.
Taylor is putting himself, and the cougars on the map this season, with SIUE off to one of their best starts in recent memory.
But if you ask him, Taylor is just happy to be on the court, performing in front of those who believed in him.
“I was so happy, first game smiling the whole time. I was very happy to play and am still happy to play every day. I don’t take it for granted. I felt like that was the biggest thing I took from being injured. You can’t take it for granted," Taylor said.
The local product also looks back on his decision to stay close to home as a wise one.
“I definitely made the right decision. After an injury like that sometimes somebody could give up on you and stuff like that but my team and coaches and trainers, they all believed in me and helped me from day one and to this day." Taylor said. "I feel like I made the right decision. I feel like when someone’s loyal to you, you owe loyalty back and that’s the way I look at it.”
And with a career start like this, there’s no telling how high this kid from Collinsville could fly.
“I think you dream big," Barone said. "In my experience you can never put a cap on someone who believes in themselves.”