At 6 feet 8 inches, Marc Taylor ‘17 was easy to spot on Parker’s basketball court. Taylor, who began playing basketball at age four, always knew he wanted to continue playing in college. Nearly two years later, Taylor can be seen on the court with fellow Williams College Ephs, where he still sports his signature “22” on his purple jersey. 

“Not playing basketball—when I was looking at schools—was not in my mind,” Taylor said. “I always wanted to play basketball, so I was trying to get the best education that I could get, using basketball as a tool.”

Growing up, Taylor knew he wanted to pursue academics more rigorously while also maintaining a heavy involvement with basketball. “Most basketball players know when they’re not gonna be the next LeBron James or Michael Jordan,” Taylor said. “When you’re young, you have your eyes on the NBA…being the best player ever and stuff like that. And then as you grow up you’re like ‘OK, I want to play basketball and also get a really good education.’”

As a Varsity team captain, Taylor was a natural leader, according to his longtime coach, Kevin Snider. “Marc makes everyone around him better because he’s so good and he doesn’t mind sharing the ball,” Snider said. “I think all his teammates would say they love playing with him…he’s easy-going, but when he’s on that court he plays to win, and he gives you 100 percent all the time.”

During his junior year of high school, Taylor tore his Achilles 70 percent, at what he says is the most critical time period for college recruitment. 

Despite his injury in high school, Taylor maintained a strong position as team captain, according to former teammates. “He definitely kept a positive attitude throughout the whole season I was playing with him,” senior Gabe Rothschild said, who played with Taylor during his freshman year. 

“I was always amazed at how positive he was,” said eighth grade English teacher David Fuder, who coached Taylor from 2012-2013 and observed many of his high school games. “Every time I’d see him in the hallways, and he was walking around in a boot, he just was friendly and was happy. I’m sure that it was incredibly hard to sit and not play, but I saw him still be supportive and be part of the team…he didn’t just check out.”

Since transitioning to Division III athletics, Taylor has noted a few differences between Parker and Williams. “Everyone on the team wants to get better and, also, everyone on the team was the best player, if not the second best player at their high school,” Taylor said about his team at Williams. “It’s a completely different environment than Parker of everyone wanting to wake up in the morning, go shoot, work out…making a huge effort to get a lot better.”
Taylor also noted disparities in the level of competition and intensities of conditioning, but ultimately said that the two schools are difficult to compare.

The shift from the second semester of his senior year at Parker to the fall of his freshman year at Williams was difficult, according to Taylor. “It was extremely challenging because not only is the athletics much more taxing on your body at Williams—the academics take a lot more work,” Taylor said. Once figuring out a proper schedule, Taylor was able to more adequately balance his course load and basketball agenda. 

Taylor experienced limited playing time during his first year on the team, as he expected. Heading into his sophomore season, Taylor was playing more minutes per game and felt his confidence boosting as a result. His season was cut short, however, with a left Achilles injury during January—three years and three days after tearing his right Achilles. 

“Rehab has been a lot more taxing,” Taylor said on his more recent injury. “I’ve done a lot more stuff and a lot more things every day than the first time, but just ‘cause I have to, and I want to play this season.”

Looking forward, Taylor hopes for two “healthy” years, although he doesn’t plan to continue his basketball career in the foreseeable future. 

“Marc is a student-athlete,” Snider said, “and let me use the word student and highlight it with an exclamation point…I think he knows that by getting a great education, it’s gonna take him a lot further in life. Don’t get me wrong, basketball is great for Marc, but I think he’s such a sharp young man that the sky’s the limit for him.”

When asked about advice for prospective college athletes, Taylor said, “the number one thing is: you’re not in college to play a sport…there’s some points where you think you’re there to play basketball or something like that, and that’s not true. You’re there to get an education.”