Allen Taylor (second from right) pictured during Senior Night Celebration with (from left) head basketball coach Steve Becker, friend and fellow hoopster Harry Taylor, and CSUDH Assistant Athletics Director Mel Miranda. Photo courtesy of Toro Athletics.
By Imani Johnson
Staff Writer
On Feb. 17, during Cal State Dominguez Hills men’s basketball senior night at halftime, Alumni Allen Taylor was honored for being the first ever four-year letter-winner, player. Men’s basketball head coach Steve Becker awarded him.
CSUDH athletics department took the initiative to host the event to honor and keep in-touch with alumni.
Taylor played for the Toro’s basketball program 1973- 77, 40 years ago when CSUDH was in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Taylor as a 6’2 Forward who worn number 32, averaged double-doubles all four years. He is among CSUDH all-time leading scores.
“When you are a competitor you are going to make the best of it, I played to win no matter the circumstances I had the ability to guide my team to win,” Taylor said. “Being on a new team at 18 years-old, playing basketball was important.”
CSUDH was able to introduce Taylor [who’s from Compton, CA, primarily a Black area at the time] to a new world, surrounding him with people from the South Bay and Palos Verdes, Taylor said.
His best experience as a student-athlete at Dominguez was competition, and being from Compton he was at home, which was a dream of his, said Taylor. Moving to Compton in 1957, at 8 years old he remembers riding his bike on CSUDH property. Taylor went on to say “It must have been destined for me to be a Toro”.
Taylor said he gives his high school coach Eddie Thomas the credit for showing him basketball and making him understand the game.
Mr. Taylor stated, after attending Dominguez Hills his passion for the sport carried him on to coach that very next year at Compton college for two seasons and he feels that CSUDH foundation was the reason for his success and overall learned the value of education.
“If I had a chance to attend CSUDH again I absolutely, unequivocally, emphatically would.” Said Taylor.
Today, Taylor instills everything that he has learned into his nephew. Taylor said, “I feel it is necessary to pass the torch.”
Photos from gotoros.com.
