The Greatest NBL Players at Every Age
April 11, 2021
Norman Taylor
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 10/09/65
- Place of Birth: New York, New York (USA)
- Position: F/C
- Height (CM): 200
- Weight (KG): 110
- Junior Assoc: None
- College: Bridgeport (1984-88)
- NBL DEBUT: 21/04/89
- AGE AT DEBUT: 23
- LAST NBL GAME: 20/07/91
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 25
- NBL History: Illawarra 1989-91
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Norman Taylor was born in New York, New York (USA).
NBL EXPERIENCE
Norman Taylor made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 23 years of age. He scored 21 points in his first game.
Taylor’s game was unique in the fact that he didn’t play above the rim, his jump shot didn’t make it out to the three-point line (he nailed only one shot from downtown as a Hawk) but with a vast posterior and a wide array of spin moves he was unstoppable in the low post despite being only 206cm. Despite this, the man nicknamed Stormin’ Norman finished his three-year career as a all-time fan favourite in the ‘Gong.
During his debut season in 1989 he averaged 29.9 points per game, a number that sits third on the Hawks single-season scoring records behind the great Mike Jones.
In 1990, Taylor had what is clearly the most dominant statistical season of all time. To put into perspective how good Taylor was, look no further than the Hawks matchup against the Eastside Melbourne Spectres that season. It was a night where Spectres players, Bruce Bolden and Dean Uthoff, known as two of the greatest big men ever to play down under, had no answer for the offensive talents of Taylor. On the 18th of March, 1990 both Bolden and Uthoff (Kent Lockhart was there for good measure too) focused solely on stopping him from scoring inside the paint but at the end of regulation Taylor had notched up 54 points (at 76% from the field) and 13 rebounds, and delivered a 122-117 victory to the Hawks. The effort remains the highest score in Illawarra Hawks history.
He would average 27.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.9 steals for the year, shooting 54% from the field that season.
Consider the fact he made a incredible 65 percent of his field goals for his career and it shouldn’t surprise you that he holds both the first and fifth most efficient seasons in NBL history. Stormin’ Norman still holds the record for field goal accuracy at the Illawarra Hawks, making 70 percent of his shots in 1991 and 67 percent in 1990.
Norman Taylor played three seasons the Illawarra Hawks. He averaged 27.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 67 NBL games.
CAREER RANKINGS:
– 17th in points per game.
– 47th in rebounds per game.
Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 26 | Illawarra | 6-20 (11) | 17 | 624.0 | 421 | 158 | 63 | 63 | 95 | 24 | 14 | 45 | 73 | 174 | 248 | 70% | 1 | 1 | 100% | 72 | 102 | 71% | 71% | 70% | 38 |
| 1990 | 24 | Illawarra | 13-13 (8) | 26 | 992.0 | 716 | 269 | 82 | 117 | 152 | 49 | 12 | 61 | 86 | 292 | 436 | 67% | 0 | 3 | 0% | 132 | 174 | 76% | 69% | 67% | 54 |
| 1989 | 24 | Illawarra | 7-17 (11) | 24 | 935.0 | 718 | 281 | 76 | 114 | 167 | 41 | 13 | 89 | 82 | 280 | 460 | 61% | 0 | 1 | 0% | 158 | 196 | 81% | 65% | 61% | 49 | Totals | 67 | 2551 | 1855 | 708 | 221 | 294 | 414 | 114 | 39 | 195 | 241 | 746 | 1144 | 65.2% | 1 | 5 | 20.0% | 362 | 472 | 76.7% | 69% | 65% | 54 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 26 | Illawarra | 6-20 (11) | 17 | 36.7 | 24.8 | 9.3 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 5.6 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 2.6 | 4.3 | 10.2 | 14.6 | 70% | 0.1 | 0.1 | 100% | 4.2 | 6.0 | 71% | 71% | 70% | 38 |
| 1990 | 24 | Illawarra | 13-13 (8) | 26 | 38.2 | 27.5 | 10.3 | 3.2 | 4.5 | 5.8 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 2.3 | 3.3 | 11.2 | 16.8 | 67% | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0% | 5.1 | 6.7 | 76% | 69% | 67% | 54 |
| 1989 | 24 | Illawarra | 7-17 (11) | 24 | 39.0 | 29.9 | 11.7 | 3.2 | 4.8 | 7.0 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 11.7 | 19.2 | 61% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 6.6 | 8.2 | 81% | 65% | 61% | 49 | Total | 67 | 38.1 | 27.7 | 10.6 | 3.3 | 4.4 | 6.2 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 11.1 | 17.1 | 65.2% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 20.0% | 0.0 | 0.1 | 76.7% | 69% | 65% | 54 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 54 | 20 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- West Sydney 1992-97
| Season | Team | PTS | AST | STL | BLK | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 99% | 91% | 96% | 84% | ||||||
| 2 | 0 | 54 | 10 | 6 | 3 | ||||||
| Total | 746 | 1144 | 65.2% | 1 | 5 | 20.0% |
NBA TOTAL STATISTICS
| YEAR | AGE | TEAM | POS | GP | GS | MINS | PTS | TRB | AST | ORB | DRB | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 26 | Illawarra | 6-20 (11) | 17 | 624.0 | 421 | 158 | 63 | 63 | 95 | 24 | 14 | 45 | 73 | 174 | 248 | 70% | 1 | 1 | 100% | 72 | 102 | 71% | 71% | 70% | 38 |
| 1990 | 24 | Illawarra | 13-13 (8) | 26 | 992.0 | 716 | 269 | 82 | 117 | 152 | 49 | 12 | 61 | 86 | 292 | 436 | 67% | 0 | 3 | 0% | 132 | 174 | 76% | 69% | 67% | 54 |
| 1989 | 24 | Illawarra | 7-17 (11) | 24 | 935.0 | 718 | 281 | 76 | 114 | 167 | 41 | 13 | 89 | 82 | 280 | 460 | 61% | 0 | 1 | 0% | 158 | 196 | 81% | 65% | 61% | 49 | Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
COLLEGE
Despite his stature, Norman Taylor was a dominant force for the Purple Knights on the hardwood between 1984-88.
Taylor had the ability to take over a game and used strength and talent to overpower opposing team's.
As a freshman during the 1984-85 season, he was a key component in leading the Purple Knights to a New England Collegiate Conference Championship and a NCAA Regional Appearance.
During his junior season, Norman led UB in scoring averaging 22.0 points per game, plus he also averaged 12.1 rebounds per game.
Following that stellar 1986-87 campaign, he became only the seventh all-time Bridgeport men's basketball player to be selected as a NABC All-American.
Taylor still ranks second all-time in career points, behind Lambert Shell with a impressive 2,170 and is one of only three Bridgeport players to eclipse the 2,000 career-point plateau.
LIFE AFTER BASKETBALL
Norman Taylor passed away on November 15, 2020.
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