This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Logan • I wrote a story for Saturday morning's print edition of the Tribune on Utah State's Quinn Taylor, a redshirt freshman forward from Houston.
Here are a few thoughts on Taylor and his role with the Aggies from head coach Tim Duryea:
Question: What did you like/see in Taylor during the recruiting process?
Duryea: "He is athletic and versatile. When we recruited him, he could play some three [and] could play some four and had a good feel for the game. He is a good passer, a good defender and really understands the game. When we recruited him, we saw a 6-7 kid who is really athletic, versatile and understands the game. He's a great kid to have on our roster."
Question: How has Taylor progressed since returning from his LDS Church mission in June?
Duryea: "His basketball IQ is still very high. The mission hurt him athletically — hurt his body some in terms of his bounce because he is a little heavier. But the way we are using him now, it's not hurting him and is a positive. I never would have imagined in a million years that he would be playing [center] for us, but he is doing a great job. Quinn is somebody who makes his teammates better. That's his specialty. He makes things work and that is what he is going for us."
Question: What do you like most about Taylor?
Duryea: "He creates action for the other guys on his team offensively; he puts them in good situations. He's a good passer, he's a good screen-setter, he understands offense and spacing and makes things work."
Question: Moving forward, how do you plan to use Taylor?
Duryea: "He will be used as a utility man — a guy that will play the three, four and five ... the five in emergency situations. He isn't big enough to be your permanent five, but he will be a guy who is a valuable part of the program because of his versatility."
— Steve Luhm