[media-credit name=’DEREK MONTGOMERY/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]In the world of sports, each team has a leader that gathers the troops and makes decisions based on instinct and confidence. In basketball, that leader is the point guard. Regarded as a role of leadership, the point guard controls the flow of the game, barking off the signals to give his team the best opportunity to score. With that responsibility comes the pressure to succeed, and praise for wins but also criticism for losses.

In his first full season at the role of point guard, junior Kammron Taylor continues to learn the position and evolve into a great point guard, in the mold of former Badger Devin Harris.

Coming to Wisconsin in the fall of 2003, Taylor played in a reserve role behind the All-American Harris. After Harris turned pro after his junior year, Taylor began to grow into the position, splitting time with then-senior Sharif Chambliss. This season however, the role is Taylor's to control. According to Clayton Hanson, who has watched both Devin Harris and Sharif Chambliss transform into true point guards, the transition from being a reserve player to being the team leader on the court is not an easy one, especially in the swing offense.

"I think [the transition is] a constant process," Hanson said. "[Taylor is] doing a lot more things. If you look at the minutes he has been playing lately combined with taking care of the ball and defending, he has had a lot thrown at him this year … There are times this year when he's done a great job of that and there are times when Coach got on him. I think it's a constant process of doing the right things on the court.

Taylor has been productive at the point guard position this season, logging a team leading 34.6 minutes per game. Averaging over 15 points per game and leading the team in 3-point field goals (52), Taylor has evolved from someone who would constantly slash to the basket and was turnover prone to a well-balanced ball handler and shooter. However, no matter how good or how poorly he plays, Taylor will always be compared to the point guards that came before him, Harris and Chambliss.

"I learned a lot from Devin, even though he was here for just one year," Taylor said. Just the way he controlled the game. Whenever the game was getting out of hand, he took over the game, because the point guard has the ball in his hands most of the time."

"[Devin] was a leader out there on the floor and by his junior year, he had really settled in to running the team. This really being my first year really leading the team, I can really take that away from Devin on how he led the team, controlled the tempo and took over games."

"You look at his freshman year when he had to sit and [learn from] Devin," junior forward Alando Tucker said. "This year, all the pressure was put on him because he is the main guy to run the team. As a point guard in Wisconsin basketball, everything runs through you. He has to make the calls and he's our leader. He's really built his vocal skills, where he is learning to recognize situations on the court and be, overall, a better point guard."

Taylor learned from Harris' confidence in late game situations, putting the team on his back and leading them to victory. This season, Taylor has played some of his best basketball in the final minutes of the game with the Badgers tied or behind. Taylor scored 14 points in the final five minutes against Michigan, hit a 3-pointer against Eastern Kentucky to send the game into double-overtime and hit a three at the buzzer to beat UNC-Wilmington. For Taylor, those two latter games show that despite his struggles during the game itself, he was able to remain confident and lead his team.

"The Eastern Kentucky game wasn't going that well," Taylor recalls. "I had a turnover that could of cost our team the game down, but I kept my composure because I knew I was one of the leaders on the team and I had to make a play at the end of the game. Hitting that shot shows how far I have come."

"The UNC-Wilmington game, I was ice cold but towards the end of the game, I decided to take over and hit a big shot. I am not a big talker. I would rather lead by example. Those two games really stand out because I wasn't playing well but kept the team together."

"That's one of the things that has grown from freshman year is his confidence," Tucker said. "With all the talk about losing Devin and not having a point guard, he just put that behind him and now he is realizing that he needs to be himself, Kam Taylor, every time he steps on the court and not have to fill the shoes of Devin or Sharif."

Although he has struggled recently, Taylor doesn't let the inconsistencies bother him. He knows that if his shots aren't falling, he'll get back in the gym the next day and get back to work. Even though he's not a big talker, Taylor has begun to evolve into a strong leader on the court by letting his play talk instead of his mouth and is beginning to become more confident in his new leadership role.

"I know a lot of people who don't know basketball think the transition is easy or that the work behind the scenes is easy, but it's hard work," Taylor said. "I've had a coach who's stayed on me ever since I have got here on campus, and it has been good for me. My freshman year when I look at it, I might have thought that coach doesn't like me or he doesn't want me here. [Coach Ryan] saw the potential that I had and he just stayed on me. I appreciate that [although] he probably won't let up on me until I graduate."