Jack Taylor scored the most points ever in an NCAA basketball game. Today he's back home in Wisconsin, winning souls and building a flock for his future church in Black River Falls.

1. Winter 2017 33
ALUMNI PROFILE JACK TAYLOR ’15
As leader and two-time captain
of the Grinnell men’s basketball
team, Jack Taylor Jr.’15 focused
on winning games.These days, he’s
focused on building his own church
in order to win souls.
For most of his life,Taylor was
devoted to hoops; the Wisconsin
native achieved national acclaim in
November 2012 when he scored 138
points — the most points scored
in a single NCAA game — in a
179-104 Grinnell victory over Faith
Baptist Bible. It was a triumph of
the frenetic, high-scoring Grinnell
System — the brainchild of then-
head coach David Arseneault Sr.
Taylor was interviewed by
ESPN, appeared on Jimmy Kimmel
Live, threw out the first pitch at a
Milwaukee Brewers game, and was
praised by NBA stars.
“I prayed a lot for humility after
scoring 138 points,” admits Taylor,
who discovered his faith in God
when he was 19, after he blew out
three ligaments and couldn’t play
basketball for a year. “I realized (after
the injury) I was living for a game
instead of the God who made me.”
He carried that faith to Grinnell,
where sharing the gospel “was very
unique, as you could imagine. We
Grinnellians are smart, critical
From Hoops
to God
Former Pioneer aims to
guide a different flock
thinkers, and skeptical. Especially
when it comes to religion or
morality.”
His goal after graduating
with a bachelor’s in biochemistry
was to play pro ball overseas, so
Taylor, who married high school
sweetheart Christina Teeples in
2014, hired an agent, and went to a
Las Vegas tournament to showcase
his talents. But restrictive rules and
the frustrating process of dealing
with agents worked against him. And
few coaches were willing to sign a
5-foot-10-inch guard. In late 2015,
his hoops journey ended.
“I was disappointed, but I wasn’t
devastated,” says Taylor. “My identity
and purpose is defined by God, not
by my success on a basketball court.”
That’s when he turned to
ministry fulltime. In March 2016, he
and Christina moved to Waterloo,
Iowa, so Taylor could serve as
ministry resident with Prairie Lakes
Church. Every Tuesday evening,
he and other leaders went to the
University of Northern Iowa with
sound equipment, banners, and a
portable stage and lights to conduct
church services for college students.
Though he loved campus
ministry, the birth of the couple’s
first child, Abigail, in August 2016
changed their plans. “We wanted
to be closer to home, where Abigail
could flourish near family and
friends.”The three moved back
home to Black River Falls, Wis., in
October 2016.
“I learned what I could from the
residency, and now we’re on the slow
march toward starting a church,”
Taylor says. “I’m figuring out social
media, marketing, and how to build
trust and respect in the community.
It’s similar to starting a small
business.”
As for basketball,Taylor
concedes that he misses being part of
a program. “I can’t watch too much
basketball on TV so I purposely
distance myself, for fear that I’ll
get too consumed again. I make up
for that by feeding my desires for
ministry, for seeing people meet
Jesus.”
In the end, says the enthusiastic
Taylor, “I had an incredible
amount of success and national
media attention, yet it didn’t fulfill
me. Basketball isn’t a god to be
worshipped but a game to play and
use as a tool to learn about yourself,
to grow in character, and to enjoy.”
– Anne Stein ’84
PhotobyDerekMontgomery