RJ Taylor signs with Northern Iowa

RJ signs as his parents look on

Senior point guard RJ Taylor signed his National Letter of Intent (NLI) Wednesday to attend and play basketball at the University of Northern Iowa. The two-time first-team all-stater verbally committed to the Panthers at the conclusion of his junior season, and now heads into his senior season officially bound for Cedar Falls, where he will play for five-time Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year Ben Jacobson.

“R.J. is a hoops junkie, a winner and has a big time motor," said Coach Jacobson. "He plays with pace, has great timing and a unique ability to get the guys around him to play at a high level. We want to play with great pace, and RJ will help us do that. He brings instant positive energy to all situations on and off the court. We are very fortunate to add RJ to the family!"

RJ has been the starting point guard at Grand Blanc since the first game of his freshman season, and the Bobcats have gone 54-11 during that stretch winning the 2021 Division 1 state championship and following that up last season with a second-place finish. 

In addition to numerous all-state honors, last season RJ was named Michigan Player of the Year by D Zone and the Michigan Class of 2023 Player of the Year by PrepHoops. His season highlights included:

• Scoring 28 in the state championship game, including an MHSAA State Championship Game record 7/10 from three-point range)
• An MVP-type performance against conference rival Carman-Ainsworth, hitting two go-ahead jumpers in the final thirty seconds of the game, then blocking a potential game-winning shot at the buzzer 
• Twice scoring 30+ points in a game (36 vs. Flint Powers Catholic and 33 vs. Muskegon)

Entering his senior season, RJ needs just 48 points to reach 1,000 scored in his career, a span in which he has averaged nearly 15 points and five assists per game. 

RJ also played the last two summers on the EYBL circuit with Nike Meanstreets out of Chicago, coached by University of Michigan alum, Tai Streets. RJ was the only rising junior on the team the first year, and made major contributions to a squad that reached the Final Four at Peach Jam.

“RJ is an outstanding young man that is simply a winner,” said Streets. “He puts aside personal goals for the betterment of the team.  I would go to war with RJ any day of the week. The ultimate winner.”

Meanstreets teammate Wes Rubin and Missouri native Kyle Pock will join RJ in Cedar Falls next season. When they arrive there, they will be playing for the only five-time MVC Coach of the Year, and the only coach in MVC history to have two wins over #1 ranked teams (Kansas in 2010 and North Carolina in 2015). Jacobson, who has held the post since 2006, ranks third in MVC history in both overall coaching victories (321) and league wins (174).

Under Jacobson, Northern Iowa has won the MVC regular season championship four times, including last season, and two of the last three years. They have also experienced March success in St. Louis, Missouri, winning four MVC Tournament (“Arch Madness”) championships under Jacobson, and five overall. The Panthers have played in the NCAA Tournament on eight occasions, including picking up victories in each of their last three visits:

·  2016 – Defeated Texas before falling to Texas A&M in double-overtime

·  2015 – Defeated Wyoming, and finished the season ranked #11 in the nation

·  2010 – Defeated UNLV and #1-ranked Kansas to advance to the Sweet Sixteen

RJ spoke about the relationship that he has developed with Coach Jacobson and lead recruiter, Assistant Coach Seth Tuttle:

Tuttle had this to say about what made RJ such an appealing recruit: "What made RJ stand out right away was his love for the game. He was all over the floor having fun competing. Something I look for is how well a kid can see the floor and how quickly they can process information, this is hard to teach, and there aren’t many that do that as well as RJ. As I got to know him and his family better, I knew how perfect of a fit they would be with our Panther Family. We are so excited that today he officially became a Panther. He’s a winner!"

For a look at what exactly Tuttle means by seeing the floor and quickly processing information, take a look at the following highlight reels from RJ's sophomore and junior seasons.