Former Cardinal Gibbons Hoops Player Shot Dead in Oakland

By Thomas Francis Wed., Jun. 9 2010 at 3:29 PM

Categories: Broward, Crime, Sports

Photo: USFDons.com

Taylor

Hyman Taylor, the star center for the 2005 Cardinal Gibbons High School basketball team, was murdered Tuesday evening outside an Ikea store in Emeryville, California, on the outskirts of Oakland. Taylor attended the University of San Francisco on a basketball scholarship.

According to this report in the San Francisco Chronicle, police do not have a suspect in Taylor's killing, nor a motive.

Local hoops followers may remember Taylor

as a teammate of point guard Taurean Green, who was a year older. After Green graduated and headed off to win NCAA championships at the University of Florida, Taylor became a focal point of the Cardinal Gibbons offense. And at six-foot-nine, he had a way of discouraging opponents from driving the lane.

After originally enrolling at Virginia Tech after his 2005 senior season, Taylor had transferred to the University of San Francisco, which has schooled some of the best big men in basketball history, including Bill Russell as well as former Chicago Bulls center Bill Cartwright.

But it would not have the same effect on Taylor, who struggled to find a place in the team's rotation. In his final season spanning 2008-09, he managed just under two points a game. Taylor was 23.