City of Basketball Love

By Dylan Lutey (@dylan_lutey)
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Makye Taylor saw his recruitment skyrocket during Philly Live this summer.

The 6-foot-7 Imhotep Charter forward went into the June live periods with two offers from Fairfield and Albany. His play during the event was rewarded with a flurry of others.

Taylor showed off his whole skill set in front of many college coaches. On the offensive end he handled the ball, showed off his ability to knock down the long ball, displayed his passing ability, and worked down low in the post. On the defensive end he blocked shots, came up with steals, and played with a lot of energy.

In the span of 10 days he added offers from Towson, Buffalo, North Carolina A&T, Manhattan, Hampton, Merrimack and La Salle to widen his search for a college to call home.

“It felt amazing actually,” Taylor said. “Even though Justin (Edwards), Ramir (Barno), and Ahmad (Nowell) pushed me to be the best I could be, it was kind of like I was in the shadows. It was good to be recognized and get that recognition.”

Justin Edwards (Kentucky) and Rahmir Barno (FGCU), both 2023 grads, and 2024 guard Ahmad Nowell (Connecticut commit) were the stars for the Panthers last season as they put together one of the best seasons in program history, becoming the first Pennsylvania school to win the prestigious City of Palms before a dominant run to Public League, District 12 and PIAA titles.

Although Edwards, Barno and Nowell were the go-to players for the Panthers, he credits them for helping him get to the point where he is today.

“They have helped me a lot being players who are going to play at big-time schools,” Taylor said. “(Playing with them) prepared me a lot because they pushed me and even to this day Ahmad still pushes me to be the best I can. Those guys really prepared me for what's coming next.”

The barrage of offers that came in during June left Taylor with a lot of different options he had to consider. Ultimately he was able to narrow his list down to three, announcing via Instagram that Albany, Towson and Fairfield were the final schools he was going to choose from. 

“I think all of the above,” Taylor said when asked about the emotions he has experienced throughout his decision process. “I was stressed out starting the recruitment process over with a lot of schools that were coming in, even the schools that came in after Philly Live. Then, I was just excited to go through the process.”

Many of the colleges that offered Taylor weren’t in touch as much as he would have liked. This made the process a little easier for the Imhotep forward.

“ I had a sit down with Brother Andre (Noble),” Taylor said. “We were just talking about how I want to go to a school that wants me for who I really am and is interested to the fullest. That's what made it easy for a lot of schools;  I just felt like the interest wasn’t a hundred percent.”

Taylor shifted his attention to the three schools that ultimately separated themselves by having coaches “consistently calling”. Fairfield in particular has a coach who has played a big role in the recruiting of Taylor. Assistant coach James Johns previously coached for Team Final, Taylor’s AAU team. 

“I was being recruited by Coach James and Coach James being a previous coach for Team Final, meant that I had a pretty good connection with him,” Taylor said. “It was kind of like he was telling me that I was the first guy he's recruited from home, so our connection kind of got deeper.”

Taylor plans to finalize his decision and announce his commitment this upcoming Saturday, Sept. 23. He took official visits to all three schools: Albany (Aug. 26), Fairfield (Sept. 8) and Towson (Sept. 16). 

“It was just helpful to see the people,” Taylor said. “It was good to see how coaches interacted with coaches, coaches interacted with players, and players interacted with players. Just seeing the environment and people in person really helps me to see if I really want to go there or not.” 

In addition to getting a feel for the environment and people, Taylor got a chance to learn more about how the programs plan to utilize him. He heard similar plans from all three schools.

“They’re telling me I'm going to play a lot since I am going to be a matchup problem,” Taylor said. “They like that I can put the ball on the floor and make the next quick decision. They're saying that I'm gonna be a 4-5. If they put a taller guy on me, I can step out on the perimeter and make the next play from there. If they put a smaller guy on me, I can play with my back to the basket and play out of that.”

Taylor continues to try to differentiate each school, but currently isn’t leaning towards any one in particular. The playing field is still “pretty even”.

“I'm assessing it off of my comfortability,” Taylor said. “At Imhotep you don't see too many guys transfer out and the guys that transfer out may have been a weak link. I am one of those guys that want to go somewhere, be comfortable enough to stay, and then do whatever I do after college.”