Jayden Taylor: "I Want To Win Again"

In case you missed it guard Jayden Taylor represented NC State at the ACC Men's Basketball Tipoff, and here is more of what all he had to say at the event in Charlotte.

NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview.

On NC State’s culture...
It's the culture that you have. I mean, new guys buying in quickly. So, obviously, we have a culture that we set up. Guys are coming in every day and just buying in. And it's leading by example. For seniors like me, I can't just talk it. I have to do it as well. So, I just say that's going to carry the momentum. And then, obviously, having guys that are open-minded and want to learn and want to do what we did. You can't just talk about it. You have to make them want to do it. 

How has your leadership role changed from last year? 
It's changed a lot. I can't come into practice with low energy or not wanting to talk any day. It's like, I can't do that. It's too magnified right now. So, it's like, it's just me knowing that if I don't talk, then we can potentially... I'm not going out, I came to help my team. So, I say that's what it is, obviously. I don't want to feel like I'm not giving my guys all they have.So, every day, I just come out there with enthusiasm and ready to lead. 

Has that come back to you? 
I'm going to be honest, not really. If I was kind of more of a quiet person on the court, lead by example type of guy, just watch me do it and then do it. But I've learned that every player is not going to learn that. So, no, I've had to adjust, honestly, and talk more to get out of my comfort zone. 

How has it been? 
It's been good, honestly. I kind of accepted it. I want to win again. So, it's like, if that's what it takes to win, then I'll do it every day. So, it's just been... And I have other guys. Like, Michael's helped me lead. We have other seniors, too. So, it's not just all of them. It's like, we have guys that are old and play a lot of college basketball in the same conference they're in college. 

Talk about the experience from the ACC tournament to the final pick. What was the experience? What was the mindset when you got out? 
Yeah, the mindset, honestly, was we can't go home in the ACC tournament. Nobody was ready to go home. And we knew our record. We weren't going to make the tournament, and this was our only way. So, it was just like, what do we have to lose? Nobody expects us to win. So, like, let's make history. Why not us? And that's when we started the little, why not us? And then we just... It was just the momentum. We just had a lot of momentum.

But isn't there superstition going on between y'all and your teammates? 
Yeah, yeah. So, Kam Woods was wearing a headband at every film session starting on the ACC tournament. Me and him kind of went to get to a night right before a film, and we came back with headbands. Coach Keatts said, we don't have no headbands. You guys can't wear headbands. So, we came back just thinking he might let us wear it. So, we tried it. We came in with them. And he said, we can't wear it in the game, which I can wear right now. And we won the film, and then we just took off from there. And every film session, we had headbands on. 

Were there any buy-ins with the superstitions?
I mean, yeah, like, he liked it. You know, Coach Keatts, he's a player's coach. So, it's like, whatever we got going on here, he'll support it to the fullest. You know what I'm saying? So, he was with it. 

What did it mean to you to come back for this year to play for Coach Keatts specifically? 
I mean, it meant everything to me. After going through what I went through with him last year, like, it's not, it's deeper than just, like, the ACC tournament and the championship. It's deeper than that. It's like relationships and just a bond that we built. So, it's like, I want to come in and finish with the guys that I did probably the most special thing in the world. That's probably the most surreal thing I've ever been a part of. So, I wanted to try to do it again or even more than my guys.

You talked about wanting to have a killer mindset this year. What does that look like? 
Yeah, I say just whether it's dealing with adversity, knowing things aren't going to be, it's not going to be a perfect season. I can tell you that right now. I'm not going to make every shot. I'm not going to make every right play, but it's just like the mindset to just keep going, just keep going, don't stop. My team needs me. Just keep being who you are. Just be consistent. I say that's where it comes from.

How vital is this early start? You've got a tough schedule, too. You don't want to get to the ACC tournament and need five games in five days again. How vital is that? 
I mean, it's huge. I just said it. Starting from game one this year, like clicking game one, we don't want to have to make up for what we didn't do. I mean, it was fun doing it, but it's not ideal. So, from game one, it's going to be crucial to just get on the same page and lock in and doing what we did. It's a belief in the program now. We can do it. So, the vibes are like, it's higher than that right now. 

Special memories from last season. How much do they mean to you, and does that spur you on also to say, well, we can create more? 
I will probably watch the video. I'll scroll on my phone and just go through videos often, like really often. And then in the whole facility, it's just pictures everywhere. It gives me butterflies almost. I tingle just looking at some videos and pictures. So, yeah, it means a lot to me. I go back and watch games all the time.