Anchored by one of the best offenses in the nation, the No. 1-ranked Salt Lake Community College men’s basketball team remains undefeated after 27 games.
Head coach Kyle Taylor came into the season with a roster made up of mostly NCAA Division I transfers, including point guard Chase Adams. Normally, Division I talents do not consider spending time at a junior college, but coach Taylor explained what his recruits can gain by coming to SLCC.
“We have to educate them on our situation at Salt Lake and how good it is,” Taylor said. “We talk about our resources, facility, location, winning tradition and specifically about other players who have come to Salt Lake for a bounce-back year and gone on to successful careers. It takes time, but it’s worth it to get these great Division I transfers.”
The acquisition of Adams, a business marketing major, is the perfect embodiment of Taylor’s recruiting process breaking right.
Upon leaving the University of Portland, Adams envisioned transferring to another Division I program. According to Adams, he politely declined Taylor’s initial invitation to come to SLCC at first.
“[Coach Taylor] was just like, ‘I’ll always be here just in case you don’t get the school that you want,’” Adams said as he recalled his recruiting process. “I doubled back and told Coach Kyle I feel like coming to SLCC will be the best move.”
Adams said the difference between SLCC and other junior colleges was how Taylor built a roster of other Division I transfers, like Adams, who were hungry to prove themselves.
Taylor credited the stellar roster for their success this season.
“I attribute our success so far — and we have a long way to go — to our players,” Taylor said. “We have really talented players, and we have a lot of them. Our depth and our talent are the key to our success. They play hard, they play outstanding defense, they share the ball and they play extremely well together.”
SLCC starting small forward and shooting guard Doctor Bradley noted the importance of the playing style the Bruins use.
“I feel like it’s the talent we have and the playing style we play on offense and defense plays a big role in our success,” Bradley said. “Also, the way our coaches motivate us is important.”
Bradley is having a sensational season as the Bruins’ leading scorer with 14.5 points per game, but he is also one of the most efficient scorers in the country, shooting 64.9 percent from the field, which ranks 21st in the nation.
SLCC currently ranks as the best offense in the nation by most metrics, including first in total points scored, and second in points per game, field goals made per game and field goal percentage.
However, Taylor is not satisfied yet, and he noted that there is still work to be done.
“We need to tighten up our halfcourt offensive execution of our sets,” Taylor said. “We also need to move better without the ball and create better spacing on offense. Defensively, we need to rotate out of our traps, sprint to the weak side block and rebound the ball.”
The Bruins are at their best when they play fast, according to Taylor. He would like the team to win multiple ways, in case an opponent can take away their ability to sprint downcourt and score in transition.
Additionally, Taylor said he wants SLCC to play better team defense; while the Bruins rank third in steals, the team currently places 87th in average points allowed and 91st in field goal defense.
The Bruins are eager to further improve as they prepare for the postseason.
“We have a lot of work left to do, but we also have a group willing to work and keep competing,” Taylor said.
