How Taggart Went Back to 2012
In a move that has been widely speculated about for the last month, Harrison Taggart has committed to the University of Vermont as part of their 2012 recruiting class.
Taggart was one of the Rhode Island Hawks top performers throughout the spring AAU season, but was nowhere to be found once the July evaluation period started.
His last appearance on the grassroots circuit occurred in late June when he attended the New England Elite 75 Showcase. Shortly afterward, he committed to the Catamounts but didn’t publicize his decision until he worked through the logistics of reclassifying back to his original class of 2012.
“I got the offer right around the fourth of July,” Taggart said. “I accepted it the day I got it. Since then I’ve been working on getting everything figured out.”
Taggart began his high school career at Mill River High School in Vermont, where he spent two years before transferring and repeating his sophomore year at St. Paul’s School in New Hampshire.
Having lived in the state of Vermont since he was 10 years old, Taggart grew up watching the Catamounts make various runs towards the NCAA tournament.
“They were the first division I team to ever contact me and they’ve been watching me since my first sophomore year at Mill River,” he said.
It wasn't until June when Vermont found themselves with a sudden void in the backcourt following the transfer of freshman guard Four McGlynn. Without much talent left on the board in 2012, the Catamounts turned to Taggart, who had already completed four years of high school.
“It was one of the last few days of school when I first heard the idea. I was open to it and went up there and really liked it,” Taggart recalled. “I told the coaches that if I got the offer that I would try to make it happen. A couple of days later, I got the offer and accepted, and then we had to try to figure out the details.”
At St. Paul’s, and Mill River before that, Taggart developed a reputation for being a crafty scorer, but this spring it was his playmaking and passing ability that stood out with the Hawks and had his stock on the rise.
“I’m not sure that I added anything new to my game. I always had that in me, I just started doing that more with the Hawks,” he said. “I just want to do whatever I can to help my team win. On the Hawks, we have a ton of shooters and a lot of guys who can really put the ball in the basket. I felt that my role wasn’t to score so much all the time but to get the shooters good looks.”
It's that type of maturity and versatility which could allow Taggart to establish a role for himself on a Vermont team that will be looking to defend their America East championship next season.
Harrison Taggart