Wade Taylor IV will be chasing history during his final game at Reed
Chasing history.
Wade Taylor IV is now just 25 points away from becoming Texas A&M’s all-time leading scorer.
The senior from Lancaster already passed program legends Acie Law, Joseph Jones and Vernon Smith for fourth, third and second place, respectively, this year.
Taylor is averaging 14.4 points per game in SEC play and 15.3 points per game this season, so no matter which way you slice it, he’s on pace to set the record before the regular season ends.
Two chances remain against No. 1 Auburn on Tuesday night and at LSU on Saturday afternoon.
After originally being recruited by head coach Billy Kennedy in 2019, Taylor was the first recruit that Buzz Williams connected with after taking the Texas A&M job, citing the importance of keeping Taylor’s commitment firm despite the staff turnover.
Taylor stayed loyal, and now that loyalty is paying off as he is cementing himself one of the best players in program history and the leader of the current resurgence of A&M hoops. His head coach believes his jersey should be in the rafters next to another special guard from Dallas who changed the trajectory of Texas A&M basketball nearly 20 years before him.
While other schools have replaced multiple starters using the transfer portal throughout the last few seasons, A&M’s roster continuity and experience continue to be one of their biggest advantages.
Over the last four seasons, Taylor helped Williams win 20-plus games each year to become the second coach in school history to win at least 20 in four straight seasons. That’s rare in today’s NIL and transfer portal landscape of college athletics.
Since arriving on campus in 2021, Taylor has been electrifying and has led the team in scoring, assists and free throw percentage over the last three seasons. Additionally, he is the only SEC player to lead his team in all three categories over the last three seasons.
Despite having a down year by his scoring standards, Taylor has put together better performances as of late, averaging 16.4 points per game since the calendar hit February. He’s just seven games away from becoming A&M’s all-time leader in games played, but missing four games earlier this year due to injury put him behind Hayden Hefner by two...so the best Taylor could finish in that category is second all-time.
Further, Taylor has taken on a different role than usual in this offense. In years past, he was the go-to bucket-getter, averaging close to 20 points per game and having seven 30-point performances last season. This year, he has reached the 20-point plateau just three times, but his assist numbers are the highest they’ve ever been at 4.6 per game.
Needing just 34 points, Taylor is on pace to become the first player in program history to score 2,000 points in both high school and college, a rare accomplishment that only a couple hundred athletes in the history of Division I basketball have reached.
In his junior year, Taylor set the program single-season record for 3-pointers made (98), 3-pointers attempted (302), points by a junior (687), field goal attempts by a junior (585) and became the first player in program history to earn All-SEC First Team honors twice.
This year, he is also on pace to become the program’s leader in career free-throw percentage (84.6 percent), career free-throw percentage in conference play (88.6 percent), career 3-pointers made (300), career 3-pointers made in conference play (139) and the SEC Tournament’s leader in career points (187), field goal attempts (147) and free throw percentage (93.6 percent).
His storied career provided some legendary moments inside Reed Arena, from his 31-point game to beat No. 6 Kentucky, his 28-point game to beat No. 2 Alabama and his two 25-point games to beat No. 11 and No. 6 Tennessee.
On Tuesday, Taylor will be one of eight seniors honored on Senior Night against No. 1 Auburn as he looks to deliver another signature win in his final game inside Reed Arena.
