Jack Taylor, Grinnell embrace spotlight

9:27PM EST November 21. 2012 - GRINNELL, Iowa -- As word spread throughout the Grinnell College campus and around town of what Jack Taylor was doing Tuesday night, fans began filing into the team's gymnasium on 10th Avenue.
A day after the Grinnell sophomore set an NCAA all-divisions record by scoring 138 points in a game, Taylor is still attracting attention, not just in town, but throughout the country, and even around the world.
"It kind of felt like I woke up in a different world, almost," Taylor said. "Before the game, I was just a regular college basketball player. Now I'm getting tweets from NBA players and getting national and international coverage. It's definitely crazy."
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Life may never be the same for the 5-10, 170-pound guard from Black River Falls, Wis., who passed Clarence "Bevo" Francis's mark of 113 points for Rio Grande College in 1954. Taylor, who entered Tuesday making 11-for-41 from the field in his first two games, has been the talk of the athletic world for the past 24 hours.
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"This was history," said KGRN AM radio color commentator Craig Arendt, who helped call the game.
The historic night has generated talk across the country, filling airwaves, newspapers and blogs with discussion about the Grinnell guard's game.
Taylor, whose previous high was 48 points in a high school game, didn't realize what was waiting for him.
During the 24 hours after his performance, he did interviews with SportsCenter and The Dan Patrick Show and appeared on ABC's Good Morning America and NBC's Today show.
Before the night was over, Taylor was trending on Twitter.
Since the game, Grinnell sports information director Ted Schultz has fielded countless calls from media outlets across the country. And a television station from Australia requested an interview, too.

"It's been pretty much non-stop fielding requests," Schultz said. "It's really been an exciting time for the college and our program, I think. It's been busy, but it's been a fun type of busy."
In the middle of it all is Taylor, soaking up each and every bit of his newfound fame. Taylor woke up at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday and found his phone full of text messages, tweets and more than 200 Facebook friend requests.
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While the 138 points drew national attention, a few of Taylor's other stats garnered criticism, including a lack of assists, 108 shot attempts and 71 three-point attempts in the 179-104 win against Faith Baptist Bible College.
ESPN's Stuart Scott voiced his displeasure on Twitter: "Not a big fan of Jack Taylor's 138-pts in Grinnell win. He took 108-shots including 71-3's…Just say that out loud. Now say "team"!"
Taylor shrugged off the criticism. "This was a team effort to get me going," he said. "The unselfishness of my teammates made this possible."
Grinnell coach David Arseneault has heard the same snickers about his program after starting a scoring revolution with a system of rapid movement, three-pointer free-for-alls and massive substitutions.
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It's the same high-scoring system that saw Grinnell guard Griffin Lentsch score an NCAA Division III single-game-record 89 points last season.
Arseneault, who has used what he calls "The System" for years, saw his e-mail inbox fill up with angry messages about the game.
"I understand," Arseneault said. "There are purists out there. ... They don't want to think outside of the box. They don't want to hear what you have to say."

Jack Taylor (3) gets high-fives after his record-setting game.(Photo: Cory Hall, USA TODAY Sports)

Taylor's teammates, who combined for the team's other 41 points, have been supportive.
"It's so nuts," Lentsch said."I'm just so happy for Jack."
Taylor, who started having muscle cramps late in the second half Tuesday, said he's doing fine but realizes things might never be the same. During the school day, the previously unheralded guard caught classmates looking his way and talking about his night.
Teachers began several of his classes on Wednesday by talking about his performance.
The Harlem Globetrotters gave Taylor a "Trotter Tribute."
Taylor, who hopes to play overseas following college, said he hopes his night provides that opportunity.
One thing he does know is that his life will never be the same.
"You dream about this as a kid," Taylor said. "For it to become a reality like this is something I'm going to cherish for the rest of my life."