Central basketball's Javion Taylor trusted the process to become a top player in Tuscaloosa

Central boys basketball's Javion Taylor has taken his game to a new level during his junior season. His former all-state teammate Taveon Goode, now at Bevill State Community College, has played a big part in it.

During a tournament at Hoover during Taylor's freshman season, Goode gave Taylor a kick in the butt of sorts to empower the talented but young varsity starter.

Taylor averaged eight points as a freshman and has led Central (14-11, 2-3) in scoring the past two seasons, pouring in about 20 points as a junior. He passed 1,000 career points in December but has "a lot more to score" Central coach Willie Moore said.

Taylor, 6-foot-2 and 160 pounds, scored 11 points in a 54-44 6A-Area 6 win over Hillcrest Tuesday.

"As a freshman, he had a lot to learn, realized he had a lot of upside," Moore said. "I remember it like it was yesterday. Goode said, ‘Hey bro, we need you to grow up and play.’ He brought him along, and I poured into him and pushed him to be better. He didn’t really know how to take it at first, but I think he understands now."

"(Goode) pushed me, too, because Coach made him guard me and stuff so I could know what to expect in real varsity games," Taylor added.

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This season, Taylor is facing the most attention from defenses he's seen in his entire career. His offseason work on attacking the rim has led to more free throw attempts and fewer jump shots.

Hillcrest gave help to Taylor's defender, but he made good decisions that didn't show up in the box score. It was an important improvement for Central from its loss to Hilcrest earlier this month.

The attention Taylor draws has created opportunities for his teammates to capitalize. First-year starting sophomore King Larkin finished with 23 points and has developed into Central's second-leading scorer, averaging around 15 points per game.

"Coaches are always in their ears trying to get the ball out my hands and trying to crash me in," Taylor said. "I just play. They ain’t going to stop me because I know I can get to the rim, I know how to shoot and do a little of everything."

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The next step for Taylor's development is to continue improving and trusting, Moore said. Taylor's length and athleticism have helped him affect smaller guards on defense, but he has room to grow, Moore said.

Central has a chance to make noise in the 6A playoffs after moving up from 5A this season. It will finish as a 2-4 seed in the area tournament, hosted by No. 1 seed Paul Bryant.

"I try to get him to understand that you’ve done good, but you can do even better," Moore said. "The more work you put in, the better your game’s going to be, the higher level you’re going to elevate yourself. So just keep working."

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: How Javion Taylor of Central basketball became a top player in Tuscaloosa