Louisville’s head coach Jeff Walz announced on Saturday the addition of graduate transfer guard Sydney Taylor to the Cardinals’ roster. Taylor, nicknamed “Swish,” will be joining the Cards from UMass, where she played her first four years of collegiate basketball. She will be eligible to play her final college season in 2023-24.
During her time at UMass, Taylor earned a reputation as a prolific sharpshooter and a clutch player, delivering game-winning shots against elite competition. The 6-foot guard was a two-time A-10 All-Conference honoree and a three-year starter for the Minutewomen, amassing impressive career stats that include 1,465 points, 404 rebounds, 170 assists, and 89 steals. Her career shooting percentages were .404 from the field and .348 from beyond the arc.
In her senior season at UMass, Taylor averaged 16.1 points (second-best on the team) and 5.0 rebounds per game, hitting 104 three-pointers with a .385 shooting percentage from behind the arc. These impressive figures led the Atlantic-10 conference and ranked her seventh nationally. She scored in double figures in 27 out of 33 games played and reached 20 or more points 11 times during the season. Her season-best performance was a 30-point game at Dayton, where she nailed a career-high seven three-pointers.
Taylor’s junior season saw her start all 33 games and help the Minutewomen reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998. She averaged 15.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, hitting 83 three-pointers with a .346 shooting percentage from three. Her performance earned her Second Team Atlantic 10 All-Conference honors.
In her sophomore year, Taylor started all 24 games and led the team with 59 three-pointers while maintaining a .324 shooting percentage from behind the arc. She was instrumental in helping the Minutewomen reach the A-10 Championship game and earn a WNIT bid, their first postseason bid of any kind since 1998.
Before her impressive college career, Taylor played high school basketball at St. Anthony’s in Long Island, New York. She was a key contributor to the team’s CHSAA championships in her first three seasons and a state title as a freshman. She also served as a two-year captain and was a two-time All-County selection.
As the Cardinals look forward to the 2023-24 season, fans can expect Sydney Taylor to make a significant impact on the team, thanks to her sharpshooting skills and ability to attack the rim. Louisville’s Yum Center is sure to light up with “Swish” on the court.
