After opening game cold as ice, Taylor remains confident, emerges as hero in final seconds

by Dave McGrath

Tuesday, December 13, 2005 00:00

Kammron Taylor stood all alone at center court, arms aloft and jumping in ecstasy, urging the crowd that was chanting his name to share in his sheer unfiltered joy after hitting the deciding shot at the buzzer in Wisconsin's 54-51 second-half barn burner against UNC-Wilmington.

"I was excited, man," a beaming Taylor said of his moment being enveloped in the din of the sold-out Kohl Center. "I don't know what else to say."

The image was one of a player who had overcome every obstacle imaginable over a 40-minute game finally reaching paydirt, and was beautiful enough to make the first half of play (maybe the ugliest, most agonizing half as has ever been played in basketball, undoubtedly causing basketball inventor Dr. James Naismith to roll in his grave somewhere) very much worthwhile.

Taylor had already played the hero, having tied the game at 41 with a three pointer minutes earlier, and then having given Wisconsin a three-point lead on a driving "and one" layup.

"He was big," junior Alando Tucker said of Taylor's late game heroics. "For him to struggle the whole first half and then to still have the guts … to make those shots, I think that set it up, for his confidence and for the last shot."

So with the game tied and six seconds left on the clock Taylor put on his cape one more time.

After the Seahawks tied the game 51-51 on a layup in the post, freshman Joe Krabbenhoft immediately called timeout. During the timeout Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan hammered into his players the fundamentals that are run over at the end of most practices, when the Badgers work on last-second shots while Tucker encouraged his teammate to take the shot if it was open.

"We talked right before," Tucker said. "And I said 'get it and drive it down the right side. I'll be ready, but if you get a great shot, shoot it.'"

At the same time ninety feet down the floor, UNC-Wilmington head coach Brad Brownell mapped out to his players the defensive strategy for the final six seconds, but made a critical error.

"I probably made a mistake. I was going to put a man on the ball and I changed my mind at the last second," Brownell said after the game. "It probably cost my kids the game, and I need to take responsibility for that."

Taylor received the inbounds pass from sophomore Michael Flowers and immediately broke to his right and briskly made his way up the court.

"I thought we did a good job of slowing [Tucker]," Brownell said. "But we did not contest [the shot] well."

With about two and a half seconds left Taylor broke half court and found an opening darting towards the right wing. As time ticked away, Taylor stopped, popped and fired a long three as time expired.

Just as the red backboard lights lit up, the ball dropped through the net and bedlam ensued, from fans and players alike.

"I saw [freshman DeAaron Williams] just spring off the bench," Tucker said. "I saw him wait until the shot hit the bottom of the net and I was like 'well at least wait until time runs out.'"

The shot was nothing less than pure redemption for Taylor, who had started the night 0-for-8 and twice earlier found himself taken out of the game following some ill-advised shots.

"There's times to attack when the shot clock is running down and it's time to take a three," Ryan said. "There are certain things we like to get done when the shot clock is running down … and it certainly wasn't what we were doing today."

"I hadn't been playing that well until the last [few] minutes of the game, but my teammates believed in me and that gave me confidence," Taylor said.

Taylor's confidence proved to be boundless as the point guard hit his final four shots of the game, plus a free throw. He also quietly led the team in rebounds, with seven, to almost single-handedly lift the Badgers to their eighth victory of the season.

Over the final five minutes of the game, Taylor had done everything possible to help Wisconsin win and after the final horn and whistle had blown, there was only one thing left to do. Celebrate.

"That's what we play for, to see things like that," Tucker said of Taylor's post-game jubilation. "And I love it."