Fri - 20 Apr
Written by Jim Ecker
Taylor Olson considered going to college in Maryland, Missouri, South Dakota or Idaho, but he's decided to stay home and play basketball in his home town next season.
Olson said Friday that he's committed to Kirkwood Community College and will join the Eagles as a point guard for the 2012-13 campaign.
Olson averaged 18.4 points, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals at Cedar Rapids Jefferson this year and made second team all-state on the Iowa Newspaper Association team. He helped the J-Hawks make three straight trips to the Class 4A state tournament as their starting point guard.
Olson told Kirkwood Coach Doug Wagemester on Thursday that he'd be joining the team, ending a long recruiting process for the home-town star.
"We're tickled to death," Wagemester said. "The more we watched him this year, the more we liked him.
"He's tough and smart. That's what it boils down to. I think he's going to be able to set the tone for us."
Olson has played in pickup games the last few weeks at Kirkwood against players on the team.
"He played very well with our guys," Wagemester said. "Our guys really liked him. I just think it's going to be a good fit."
Olson was recruited by Coppin State, Missouri State, South Dakota and Idaho State, but none of those four-year schools had offered an athletic scholarship at this point. Coppin State, located in Baltimore, Md., offered Olson a full academic scholarship, but Olson wants to study engineering and said Coppin State does not have an engineering department.
"There were schools still talking to me, but I didn't want to wait," he said. "I decided Kirkwood was the best fit."
Kirkwood has a pre-engineering department, so Taylor can take engineering classes at KCC and use those credits if he transfers to another school. He carries a 3.5 GPA at Jefferson and scored 28 on the ACT college entrance exams, so he has excellent academic credentials.
Wagemester said Olson has a balanced approach to college, both as a student and athlete. "That's refreshing," he said.
Olson is hoping to spend one year at Kirkwood, improve his overall game and then transfer to a Division I school. If not, he'll spend two years at Kirkwood.
Michael Webber and Preston Brunz, Kirkwood's two point guards this past season, were both sophomores this year and have finished their junior college eligibility. Wagemester has signed Demetrius Butler, a talented point guard from Davenport Central, and now will have Olson on the club as well.
Butler averaged 16.7 points, 4.8 assists and 2 steals for Davenport Central this season. Wagemester anticipates a good battle at point guard between Olson and Butler, saying he plans to use both of them.
Kasey Semler, a 6-foot guard from Marion High School, will be a sophomore at Kirkwood next season. Semler and Olson were AAU teammates on the Barnstormers, so they'll be reunited in college.
Olson is a strong point guard who likes to drive to the basket. He said he'd like to improve his jump shot at Kirkwood.
"I feel like if I get my jump shot down, a lot of things will open up for me," he said.
Olson said he's glad to finish the recruiting process for this year. He tried to block it out during the season, then tried to sort through his opportunities.
"Once the season got over I had to start nailing it down," he said. "It got stressful at times, but I'm glad it's over with."
