Memorial's Taylor accepts MSU offer

ELKHART -- Akyah Taylor won't remember Valentine's Day 2010 for delicious chocolates or a cute stuffed teddy bear. The Elkhart Memorial basketball standout got a much sweeter deal. Taylor, a junior forward, made a verbal commitment to take her sweet set of hardwood skills to Michigan State starting in 2011. Taylor accepted the Spartans' scholarship offer late Sunday night after returning home from a visit to East Lansing. The trip included watching the Spartans beat Northwestern, 68-55. "I just got a good feeling there,'' Taylor said. "I like the coaches and the atmosphere. It's also close to home so my family can see me play.'' "I'm happy. Now I can just focus on the rest of this year and then next year.'' Taylor capped some weekend with her decision. The athletic, 5-11 forward helped Memorial win its seventh straight Class 4-A sectional title Saturday night. The Spartans made the offer after seeing Taylor play twice in recent weeks. MSU coach Suzy Merchant has a history with Memorial as she recruited and then coached former Charger star Alyssa Pittman at Eastern Michigan before taking over in East Lansing three years ago. "It's a great decision for Akyah and we're very proud of her,'' said Memorial coach Larry Fielstra. "It's a place she feels comfortable and a coaching staff we're familiar with. "I think Akyah could play for any college program in the country. She plays as hard as any player I've ever coached. She is athletic, competitive, coachable and a great teammate. She's only going to continue to get better too.'' Taylor is the top scorer (17.0) and rebounder (9.1) for the No. 7 Chargers. She also leads the team in steals (57) and blocked shots (36). Memorial is 23-2, a program best for wins. "This is a big opportunity for me,'' said Taylor. "To me, basketball is more than just a sport. It's my life.'' Taylor , who should be a shoo-in for the Junior All-Star team, has helped Memorial go 65-11 in her prep career and win a pair of NLC titles. She is on pace to become the school's all-time leader in points, rebounds and blocked shots. Taylor currently has 1,208 points, good for third in school history behind Erica Jackson (1,403) and Pittman (1,612). "I'm thrilled for Akyah that this is done,'' Fielstra said. "It takes a lot of the pressure off her. She's not only an All-Star candidate next year, but a Miss Basketball candidate. I haven't seen a junior better than she is.'' Taylor becomes the second Charger to choose to play in the Big Ten. Senior Jada Buggs has signed to play at Wisconsin. Michigan State is 17-8 overall and 8-6 in Big Ten play. The Spartans were 22-11 last season, going 13-5 in league play. They advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tourney.