Waverly's Marcus Taylor lived up to hype on court to earn Hall of Fame spot

Phil Odlum remembers being astonished.

In one of his early interactions with Marcus Taylor, the former Waverly basketball coach remembers being amazed while watching the things he was doing as a third grader at a camp for older kids.

Odlum knew then he was witnessing something special.

The hype surrounding Taylor only continued to build in the years that followed.

Taylor lived up to it while becoming one of the best basketball players produced by Lansing.

And Taylor will be honored for his basketball accomplishments Thursday when he is inducted into the Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame.

"He's a very special young man as we all know." Odlum said. "What he's done for the Lansing area - he was the guy ever since he was in eighth grade. I think there were articles written about him. I thought he represented the entire area of Lansing with utmost class and humility. Of course he represented Waverly High School and that community the same way. 

"Just as a person, he just was a great ambassador for Lansing. As a basketball player, his accomplishments on the court were far and above many other players in the area. What he accomplished on the basketball court was unbelievable."

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Taylor remembers first being aware of the hype surrounding his basketball abilities after he went to California for Magic Johnson's camp. That's when the constant comparisons to Johnson started coming for Taylor with both being from Lansing and also wearing the No. 32.

"(That hype) was difficult I think for a kid of that age," Taylor said. "I credit my parents for making me stay focused on what I have going on with school, the workouts and everything and just having a social life. It's a big attribute to my parents for keeping me focused and not having me worried about the outside hype."

Taylor met the high expectations and dazzled on the court at Waverly while becoming one of the nation's most coveted recruits. He was a three-time Class A all-state performer and capped his high school career by leading the Warriors to a state title and being named Mr. Basketball in 2000. Taylor averaged 26.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists during his final season and was named a McDonald's All-American.

The success continued at Michigan State where Taylor flourished as a sophomore and became the second player to lead the Big Ten in scoring and assists.

"Sophomore year it was more getting back to what I was used to doing all through middle school and high school and everything before that," Taylor said. "The ball was in my hands and I was facilitating. Freshman year was kind of in a role playing position and that was something I wasn't used to. When I got to sophomore year I was back to being me. 

"I just did what I did. I always worked hard and tried to lead the guys and tried to get a championship."

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Taylor left MSU after his sophomore year for the NBA and was drafted late in the second round by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He never played in an official NBA game and spent his professional career primarily playing overseas before retiring a few years ago.

Odlum is proud when he reflects on Taylor's basketball career that was full of notable accomplishments.

"There have been some people I think that kind of gave him a bad knock because he left Michigan State or whatever," Odlum said. "My point has always been I don't know what more you can ask for a kid to do. He won a state title in high school, he was on the McDonald's All-American team, he helped the Spartans to a Final Four and then his sophomore year he was only the second person in the history of the Big Ten to lead it in scoring and assists. He just had a fabulous career. 

"When he left, I think a lot of people got the wrong opinion of him. A lot of people ask me that it must have been hard coaching Marcus Taylor. It was the opposite. Nothing was more easier. He was just a treat to coach. Very, very coachable and very team-oriented."

Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway.

Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame

What: 42nd Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony

When/Where: Thursday at the Lansing Center; welcome starts at 4:30 p.m., dinner is scheduled for 5:45 p.m., followed by the ceremony at 6:45. 

Sponsors: Magic Johnson Enterprises, Dean Transportation, Auto-Owners Insurance, Applegate Home Comfort, Dan Henry Distributing and Two Men And A Truck.