Zaire Taylor will be a junior next season for the Tigers

May 5, 2008

Columbia, Mo. - By Mizzou Media Relations Student Assistant Andrew Shepler

Why did you decide to transfer from Delaware?
"We had a new coach coming in and his style wasn't the best fit for me. This is a style of play I am more comfortable with and that wasn't the case at Delaware. I got the opportunity here and Coach Anderson and Coach Watkins believed in me, that means a lot."

What attracted you to Mizzou?
"Keon and I are real good friends off the court and I saw his success. I like Coach Anderson's style of play; I think it fits the way I play very well. I thought I was capable of playing on a level such as the Big 12 and I wanted to achieve the best I possibly could achieve."

What is your favorite part of being on the team?
"Just the unity and the camaraderie that we have. I've played on a lot of different teams, and I think this is the best team that I've played for as far as how we act amongst each other."

What were your goals this season?
"My goals for the season were just to become the best player I can become, the best student I can become and just the best person I can become. Just working on become the best I can be in all aspects of life."

What are your goals for your next two years at Mizzou?
"Win a national championship and a Big 12 championship. That should be everyone's goals in this conference."

How did you get into basketball?
"In my family, everybody played basketball. My mother played basketball and my father played. My whole family, my uncles are all coaches whether it was Division III level, the community college level or just coaching in the community, all my uncles know the game very well. Growing up in that environment, I had no choice but to play and I felt like I took the option of becoming a sponge, trying to soak up as much as I could about the game."

What are your plans after college?
"I'm majoring in women's and gender studies with a focus in women's studies, sociology, and black studies. I feel like those three focuses together can help me. Blacks and women in America are trying to advance themselves and overall I just want to help people, not just black people, not just women, I just want to help people. I feel like learning about the sociology and the social structure of women and the problems that they had with it will help me. I have to completely understand the problem in order to help solve it."

Tell us about playing the guard position, was it a choice to play there?
"I don't really feel like I choose to play guard. When I'm playing I do a lot of different things. I love to rebound. When you think of a guard that's not something that guards are known for, but I love to rebound and I love the physical play. But at the same time I'm still only 6'4 and 180 soaking wet so at the end of the day there aren't really too many options for me."

What is the biggest strength that you bring to the team?
"I feel like the biggest strength that I bring to the team is rebounding and making plays. Whether it's just a deflection or a dive (for a loose ball) or something. Some players don't really want to get hurt and don't want to get their hands dirty, just things like that."

What has been your favorite experience with the team so far?
"My favorite experience with the team is all the silly things that take place in the locker room. We've got a lot of characters on the team, we've got a whole lot of different personalities, and when you put them together its just comedy. I think we need a reality show."

What is a typical week like for you?
"A typical week for me is weight lifting three times a week, practice six times a week and other than that, it is pretty much classes and studying. Other than that you don't really see me doing too much else."

How do you balance school and athletics?
"I feel like I have enough time for it, they make sure of that. I think the best way to balance it out is to eliminate everything else you're doing. You can't really do a whole lot of things. You've got to make the decision that you are here to play basketball. You're here to get an education. After that you have family, and I call home so I talk to my family a lot and that keeps me motivated. After that, everything else gets in where in fits in. If you have time then that's great and if not that's not what you're here for."

What is your favorite thing about the game of basketball?
"I feel like it's the most exciting game, the most exciting sport. Not to knock any other sports but its non-stop action. It's very intense. It's very competitive. There's dunks there crossovers, just things like that make it exciting."

What are some of your goals for the off-season?
"I just want to continue getting better. We have a lot out there to accomplish and our success next season is determined by the work we are putting in now. The guys are working hard, which is what we need to do to improve next season."

What do you like to do in your spare time?
"I talk to my girlfriend on the phone, and write poetry."