While the men’s basketball team has not had great success this year, there have been a few bright spots. Senior forward Jason Hubbard has been one of those bright spots.
Hubbard is now the all-time leading scorer at Taylor with 2,395 points in his career currently, and he has been on a tear this season,averaging a career high 23.1 points and a respectable 8.6 rebounds per game.
To top it all off, Hubbard was the one that scored the silence-breaking tenth point during the annual Silent Night game.
“I consider it extremely blessed to have been able to score the tenth point,” Hubbard said.
Hubbard has solidified himself as one of the best to ever suit up for the purple and gray. He went from averaging just eight points during his freshman season to now being the all-time leading scorer for the Trojans. But he hasn’t done it all on his own.
“The staff has definitely helped me develop as a scorer and a leader and helping me realize my potential,” Hubbard said.
Hubbard has also received many individual awards throughout this season. He was preseason All-Crossroads League and won Crossroads League Player of the Week five times. Hubbard will most likely garner First Team All-Crossroads League honors at the end of the season.
Another bright spot for the Trojans is the fact that they have a greatly improved record from last season. The Trojans are now 13-14 compared to their record last season of 9-21.
“We’ve taken some strides and we’ve matured a lot as a team, bringing back a lot of guys from last year,” Andrews said.
And mature they did. The Trojans have reduced the number of turnovers, which created more fast break scoring opportunities for the offense. Taylor has also improved on rebounding, with Hubbard leading the team in rebounds this season.
Shooting has been a struggle for Taylor this year. Taylor’s shooting percentage this year is 45.1%. Their 3 point shooting has not been anything to write home about either, only shooting 30.1% from deep.
“Our shot being inconsistent and not falling has hurt us in the final moments of some games,” Andrews said.
One key win for the Trojans this season was an upset victory over Grace College who was ranked No. 2 at the time by a score of 68-62. Hubbard had an amazing statistical game. He had 27 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks and 4 assists.
Another key contributor in that game was junior guard Grant Niehaus. He had 13 points and made 3 out of 5 of his shots from deep court. This was arguably his best game of the season.
Taylor also had key wins on the road against Huntington University, University of Saint Francis and at home against Spring Arbor University.
With the Crossroads League Tournament right around the corner, the Trojans will most likely have to win the tournament in order to have a spot in the National Tournament in the postseason.
Taylor will look to improve their final record next season with a strong incoming recruiting class and other players stepping up and developing within the system.
