Taylor to Play in All-Star Game at Final Four

One day before the Final Four, senior guard Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla.) of the UCF men’s basketball team will participate in the Hershey’s College All-Star Game at Ford Field in Detroit Friday. The game, which will be televised live nationally on CBS College Sports beginning at 4:30 p.m., features two teams comprised of the top seniors from across the country.

The all-star game, which is organized by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, is in its 47th year. For the second year in a row, the contest will be played in the same stadium as the Final Four. The game will be held after each Final Four team practices in front of the public at Ford Field.

The 2008-09 Conference USA Player of the Year, Taylor ranked third in the nation in scoring at 26.2 points per game this past season. He led the Knights in scoring in 29 of the squad’s 31 games. In C-USA play, he averaged a league-record 29.1 points. His 466 points in conference play was also good for a C-USA record.

On Monday, Taylor received Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention recognition. An All-C-USA First Team selection, he was also named to the NABC All-District 11 First Team and the United States Basketball Writers Association All-District IV Team.

The all-star game is one of two events in Michigan this week for Taylor. On Thursday, he is slated to compete in the Vegas.com Slam Dunk Championship in Auburn Hills. The dunk contest will be aired on ESPN at 9 p.m.

Starting April 8, Taylor will audition in front of National Basketball Association scouts at the Portsmouth Invitational in Virginia.