Boys & Girls guard Mike Taylor is headed to prep school and his future at Rutgers is very much in doubt, multiple sources told The Post on Monday.
The 6-foot-3 shooting guard, who led the Kangaroos to back-to-back PSAL Class AA city crowns, snapping a 31-year drought at the Bed Stuy school, verbally committed to Rutgers and new coach Mike Rice in September and signed his National Letter of Intent during the early signing period.
But, according to sources, the Scarlet Knights are unsure if he will qualify academically and the two sides agreed prep school would be the right route. Since Rutgers already lost Tyree Graham to a torn ACL, Rice and his staff are in the process of looking for another shooting guard and are involved with a host of them in the Class of 2011. As a result, sources said Taylor’s future at Rutgers is “up in the air” and that the program is moving “in another direction” at the moment.
Taylor’s current AAU coach, Gary Charles of the New York Panthers, is helping Taylor find a prep school in conjunction with Boys & Girls coaches Ruth Lovelace and Elmer Anderson. Charles said there are many options for Taylor, but declined to name any specific prep schools.
Lovelace, Taylor and Anderson were unable to be reached for comment, but Charles said it is his understanding Taylor opted for prep school to fully prepare himself for college basketball. Taylor was suspended six games late in the year for failing his first-period class, breaking Boys & Girls principal Bernard Gassaway’s rule for student-athletes.
“He wants to work on some things and better himself,” Charles said of Taylor, an All-City second team selection by The Post who helped the Panthers reach the Pittsburgh Jam Fest Elite 8 over the weekend. “I’ve been led to believe it’s more about preparing him for the next step.”
As for his future at Rutgers, Charles said Taylor’s recruitment would “likely open up” since Rutgers now needs a shooting guard for the current season.