By Mike Rego
EAST PROVIDENCE — East Providence High School boys’ basketball senior Brian Taylor reached the milestone 1,000-career point plateau during the Townies’ victory over visiting and neighboring Providence Country Day in a Division I contest played February 2.
Taylor, who played his first two seasons of high school ball at Coyle-Cassidy in Taunton, Mass., entered the game needing 28 points to reach 1,000. He attained the number on a rebound, put-back layup off a missed jumper in the second half of the Townies’ 85-68 win over the Knights. Taylor finished the night with a game-best 32 points off 11 field goals and a perfect 11-for-11 performance at the free throw line.
“I’m overall proud of his maturity and how he has grown as an individual over the last year,” EPHS head coach Joe Andrade said of Taylor, the most experienced of the regulars for the Townies this winter.
He continued, “A big thing too is Brian went from playing with seniors and All-Division players last year to now with a new group that has loads of potential, but zero experience. But Brian has never sulked, never yelled at these guys. He’s been a leader, encouraging them and just trying help as much as possible.”
Transfer to EPHS
The 6-foot, small forward has started at the varsity level throughout his career, including his freshman and sophomore seasons for the Warriors. He tallied some 600 points at Coyle-Cassidy, a Catholic school which actually shut down following the 2019-2020 term.
He immediately made an impact upon his arrival to EPHS last winter. In his first year with the Townies, Taylor scored 340 points as he helped them complete their best regular season in 40 years before the COVID-19 pandemic ended their season prior to the start of the 2020 Open State Tournament.
“When he transferred I remember Pam Santos, a guidance counselor, introduced me to him and he looked like a linebacker, but I knew he could ball. I think he had an adjustment last year because at Coyle-Cassidy he was allowed to do what he wanted to do in the sense of on the basketball court so he had to adjust to us. We just don't run around, etc., but that group last year was able to help him adjust,” Andrade added.
(Updated, Feb. 4, 10 a.m.) Taylor becomes the sixth player in EPHS boys’ hoops history to accomplish the feat while playing for the Townies. Dion Hazard was last to reach the milestone, doing so during the 2018-19 season. The others in the EPHS boys’ basketball 1,000-point club are Bobby Perry, Class of 2007, Derek LaCroix, 2002, Kevin Bliss, 1992, and Curtis Alves, Class of 1979.
More boys’ hoops
A correction, EPHS split its Division I contests two weeks ago, including a 78-69 win, not a loss, in Woonsocket over the host Villa Novans. The victory upped the Townies’ record at the time to 1-2 in the league.
Brian Taylor led the locals with 20 points. Chris Vieria added 19, Trey Resendes 14 and Max Collins 13. The score and stats were incorrectly reported in the February 4 edition of The Post.