Duquesne football player Kellon Taylor stays on basketball team, but only for practices
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Kellon Taylor reached a unique arrangement with Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot that keeps him on the men’s basketball team – but only at practice.
“Kellon made a personal business decision,” Dambrot said. “He just wanted to practice, just to stay in shape for football and put all his eggs into football.”
Taylor, a junior, has played two sports at Duquesne for the past three seasons. He played a full football season as a wide receiver for the Dukes last year before joining the basketball team in December.
He has played in six games this season, averaging fewer than 10 minutes per game and scoring six points. Previously, he played in 41 games the past two seasons, averaging three points and three rebounds.
Dambrot said he’s happy Taylor will remain part of the team.
“That’s that Dematha education,” he said, referencing Taylor’s high school. “You just want to practice.
“It’s a good deal for him. It keeps him in good shape. It’s a good deal for us. The guys like him.
“He’s been an integral part of our team. It’s good to have him around, and it allows us to play our younger kids. In some ways, it took a little pressure off me.”
Without Taylor’s 6-foot-5 presence coming off the bench, Dambrot could increase playing time for freshmen forwards Gavin Bizeau, Austin Rotroff and Amari Kelly, which could help in their development. Bizeau scored his only basket of the season Sunday in the overtime victory at George Washington.
“Kellon’s a good player so when he’s there it confuses me,” Dambrot said, smiling. “This way, I can play Bizeau. I can play Austrin Rotroff. I can play Amari, and we live with the results.”
Taylor, who has one more year of football eligibility at Duquesne, has indicated an interest in playing professionally.
“He’s a guy who can be successful in anything he does. He’s a smart kid,” Dambrot said.
When it was mentioned to Dambrot that the arrangement with Taylor is unique among college basketball coaches, he said, “I’m unique. Not many coaches go for that, but I like it, kinda. I like Kellon, though, so for me it’s not hard.”
Without Taylor on game days, every player on the team is either a freshman or sophomore.
Jerry DiPaola is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jerry at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.