Terry Taylor's first season in Clarksville has been one for the record books.

Freshman of the Year. First-team All-Ohio Valley Conference. Already into the single-season top-25 in rebounding (256, 18th) and his 45.6 percent three-point percentage would be the third-best mark in program history. With 488 points on his ledger, he's scored more points than any Austin Peay freshman since Fly Williams' legendary 1972-73 season. Only nine freshmen since 2009-10 have pulled down more than Taylor's 121 offensive rebounds. According to research, he's the only freshman in OVC history with 10 or more double-doubles in his first season—future NBA first-round pick Kenneth Faried only had seven.

Generally speaking, Taylor's season has been nothing short of spectacular. He deserves the accolades he's earned, with more almost sure to come as his career continues.

And he's just scratching the surface.

For as easy as it looked for Taylor from his very first time to appear on the court in an Austin Peay uniform, when put up a game-high 15 points at Vanderbilt, it was game two—against Virginia, the top-seeded squad at the NCAA Tournament—which changed his perspective on the collegiate game.

"(I) was all adrenaline at Vanderbilt, but when we played Virginia I got brought back down to earth," he said. "They're the real deal; the way they play defense and their physicality was eye-opening."

It was just the start of a season of discovery for the pride of Bowling Green High, as he navigated his first college season, under new coaches and with a host of new teammates.

It started when Matt Figger took over the Govs last April; Taylor, who had signed his National Letter of Intent the previous November, was no longer going to be playing for the staff he had expected to play for at Austin Peay. Additionally, he was coming off a star turn in the Kentucky state tournament—where he earned MVP honors in leading Bowling Green to its first state title. As a prep player, his stock was never higher; he could've asked for a release, could've sought his fortune elsewhere. Teenagers change their minds sometimes.  

The thought never even crossed his mind.

"I didn't want to make a rash decision without talking to Coach Figg first," he said. "I just wanted to know if I still had a scholarship, to be honest. He was straight to the point when he called me; he let me know he expected a lot out of me."

A lot was achieved, in a very short time. From the moment he stepped on campus for summer workouts, even the most casual observer could tell Taylor had a chance to be a special player. He didn't woof, didn't preen; ego checked, the freshman set about learning college basketball.

It helped that he had supremely capable teachers and examples. Though the young Governors were incorporating nine new players—a number which dipped to seven as the season wore on—Taylor found in the locker room a group of veterans more than willing to show a talented youngster the ropes, perhaps none more than senior Averyl Ugba.

"I lean on the veterans," Taylor said. "They've played this game more than I have. They know more than I do. I'm still trying to learn everything I can, so having those veterans around is important for me. Playing along with these guys has been amazing. They've brought me along and helped me with anything as the season goes along. They keep me humble through it all. The most rewarding thing is being teammates with them."

"Averyl's helped me out in so many ways. When I'm on the court and make a mistake, he's the one telling me to shake it off. When we're in practice, he's the one pushing me to do my best. He's been there for me since day one."

From Day One to Game 33, Taylor has embraced every opportunity to get better. He went from battling early-season knee issues to splashing enough threes over the season's final few weeks to qualify for the OVC lead in three-point shooting. The extra opportunities—two games in the OVC Tournament, at least one more in the CIT—provides Taylor and his teammates a unique opportunity to extend their season and, if a few things break right, maybe even lift a trophy here at the end. Getting those reps—championship reps—as a freshman will be a huge factor in Taylor's development, and he knows it.

"It's critical to play in the postseason, because next season we won't have Averyl, Ed (Stephens), Tre' (Ivory)," Taylor said. "Coach will look up to me, CB (Chris Porter-Bunton) and Zach (Glotta) and we'll have the experience from this season, the ups and downs, so hopefully we can guide next season's team to an OVC Championship."