Four More Visits for Taggart

Shawn Taggart, the No. 48 ranked player in the Rivals150, had a visit to Memphis this past weekend that will be hard to beat. The 6-foot-8, 215-pound combo forward from Richmond Va., and attending Mt. Zion (N.C.) Academy will try four other visits, however.

“The visit went great,” said Taggart. “We visited the new Fed Ex arena. They are building it downtown near the Pyramid. They just started putting the floor down. We also walked around campus and spent time with some academic people and looked at classes.

“This visit will be a hard one to top. Hopefully the other four can top it.”

Taggart recently told Rivals.com that he was down to Memphis, Iowa State, and UCLA. Now UCLA is out of the picture, and Virginia Tech, Florida State, and St. John’s have been added to his list.

Iowa State will receive a visit this weekend. Then Taggart will head to Virginia Tech on September 24, Florida State on October 1, and St. John’s on October 7.

As much as he enjoyed the Memphis visit, Taggart balked at naming the Tigers as his leader.

“No, I don’t have a favorite,” he said. “I like all five schools, and I want to go on all of my visits with an open mind.”

Taggart, who is a long, aggressive player and unafraid to mix it up inside, has the athleticism and skill base to be a terrific small forward. He certainly, however, needs to refine his skills with the ball and improve his range before he is ready to be a small forward at the next level. Already a very good power forward, he will be even better at that position as he gets stronger. Bottom line, Taggart is a very good combo forward prospect.

Along with refining his skills, a top priority for Taggart is to get stronger.

“I just came out of the weight room an hour ago,” he said. “I am at 215, but I want to get up to 225 or 230 by the start of the season.”