Taylor Hendricks (born November 22, 2003) is an American basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the UCF Knights. As a freshman, he was a Second-team All-AAC and AAC All-Freshman Team selection. He was a three-time Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSSA) champion.

Early life and high school career

Hendricks grew up in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...

and initially attended NSU University School. The 2018–19 University team with, which included Vernon Carey Jr., Scottie Barnes, Jace and

Jett Howard Jett Howard (born September 14, 2003) is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the point guard and shooting guard positions for college and the NBA. He played 20 ...

, successfully defended its

FHSSA Global Partners in Care (GPIC), formerly known as The Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa (FHSSA), is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization by a group of internationally recognized hospice and HIV/AIDS care professionals to generate suppor ...

Class 5A State championship with a victory over Andrew Jackson High School, despite Carey being sidelined for the championship game. He transferred to

Calvary Christian Academy Calvary Christian Academy (CCA) is a private Christian school located in Cresaptown, Maryland in Allegany County. It was established as an outreach of Calvary Baptist Church of Cresaptown in 1973. Purpose Calvary Christian Academy is a school t ...

after his sophomore year. Hendricks averaged 14.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game during his junior season while Calvary Christian won the Florida 3A state championship. As a senior, he was named the Broward County Player of the Year after averaging 15.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game as Calvary Christian repeated as state champions. Hendricks was rated a four-star recruit and committed to playing college basketball for

UCF The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University ...

over offers from the likes of Florida, Florida State,

Miami (Florida) Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at the ...

, LSU, Memphis, and

Iowa State Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

. His commitment made him the highest-ranked recruit in UCF history.

College career

Hendricks entering his freshman season at UCF was not see as an NBA prospect started as the Knights' starting power forward. On November 8, 2022, he opened the season with a 23-point, 2-steal and 3-block effort against

UNC Asheville The University of North Carolina Asheville (UNC Asheville, UNCA, or simply Asheville) is a public liberal arts university in Asheville, North Carolina, United States. UNC Asheville is the designated liberal arts institution in the University of N ...

. He was named the American Athletic Conference (AAC) Rookie of the Week for a conference record four consecutive weeks (November 21 through December 12). The only other player to win the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week award three weeks in a row was

Austin Nichols Austin Nichols (born April 24, 1980) is an American actor and director, known for his role as Julian Baker in The CW drama series ''One Tree Hill''. He is also known for his roles in the films ''The Day After Tomorrow'' and '' Wimbledon''. He st ...

. When Hendricks won his sixth American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week on January 16, 2023, he tied Jalen Duren, Precious Achiuwa and

Dedric Lawson Dedric Lawson (born October 1, 1997) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Beşiktaş Icrypex of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). He played college basketball for the Memphis Tigers and the Kansas Jayhawks. Hig ...

for the conference single-season record. On February 6,

Jarace Walker Jarace Isaiah Walker ( ; born September 4, 2003) is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Houston Cougars. He was a consensus five-star ...

won his sixth AAC Rookie of the Week award, tying the group. Hendricks won for a seventh (February 13), eighth (February 27), and ninth time (March 6) to move ahead of the pack and up his career-high to 25 points on February 26 against the Tulsa. Hendricks was named to the All-AAC 2nd team and the All-Freshman team. Following the end of the season he entered the 2023 NBA draft and signed with an agent, forgoing the remainder of his college eligibility.

Professional career

Utah Jazz (2023–present)

The Utah Jazz selected Hendricks with the ninth overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft. Hendricks became the highest NBA draft pick, the first lottery pick, and the first one-and-done player in UCF history.

Career statistics

College

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References

External links

UCF Knights bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hendricks, Taylor 2003 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from Broward County, Florida Calvary Christian Academy (Florida) alumni NSU University School alumni Power forwards (basketball) UCF Knights men's basketball players Utah Jazz draft picks