NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Wade Taylor IV has bid farewell to Music City sooner than he had planned, heading out with the No. 14 Texas A&M, and he takes with him a collection of new Southeastern Conference Tournament milestones.
Taylor, standing at 6 feet tall, fought valiantly in what was his 11th tournament appearance on Thursday, ultimately falling to Texas in a thrilling double-overtime matchup. Despite the loss, he left a significant impact with his play.
Scoring an impressive 29 points and converting 17 of his 18 free-throw attempts, Taylor emerged as the all-time leading scorer in SEC Tournament history, accumulating 202 points. He surpassed the previous record held by Allan Houston, a former two-time NBA All-Star, who scored 187 points in nine games while at Tennessee from 1990 to 1993.
“I’m extremely blessed to be in that position,” commented Taylor upon learning of his ascent past Houston. “Thankful for my teammates and our coaches for helping me be in that position because, without them, I wouldn’t be who I am today. So great honor. I’m thankful.”
Adding to his list of achievements, the Aggies guard now holds the record for most field goals attempted in the tournament with 156, surpassing Tony Delk’s prior record from his time at Kentucky from 1993-96. His noteworthy precision at the charity stripe, combined with his relentless energy during the game, allowed him to clinch records for both free throws attempted (65) and made (61), records previously held by Houston.
Furthermore, Taylor marked another career milestone by becoming the 28th player in SEC history to reach 2,000 points, achieving this with a swift driving layup early in the game with 13:10 left in the first half.
