Justin Taylor is one of the first guys off the bench for Jim Boeheim. It's a role he’s getting used to, but one that requires having a feel for the game before even stepping onto the court.

“See a little bit of the game first on the bench, then I come in and know what I need to bring to the table," Taylor said. "Whether it’s scoring, whether it’s rebounding, whatever it may be.”

At age 19, Taylor believes his best days of basketball are ahead of him. But he can think all the way back to his days as a kid in Charlottesville, Virginia, remembering when he first picked up a basketball.

“For as long as I can remember, I was always on a team," Taylor said. "Trying anyway I could just to try and play basketball. Outside with friends, wherever it was. I fell in love really quickly.”

But the true credit, he said, lies with his mom, Kerri, and older sister, Ashley, both of whom played at the college level. His mom played for James Madison; his sister, at William and Mary.

“Having them always in my corner, always having my back," Taylor said. "My mom is my biggest support of all and also my biggest critique. She knows the game so well. Always helping me out with stuff. Just having them, trusting in them, especially when times are tough and we’re not winning games or I’m not playing well. I can always trust on them to be there for me.”

And even coming from a basketball family, it’s a path his mom didn’t want him to take.

“My mom, honestly, tried to steer me away from it just because she didn’t want that perception that I was playing for her or whatever it was," Taylor said. "I played a lot of sports growing up — lacrosse, football, baseball — but my first love was basketball. I wanted to stick with that. So when I got to high school, that was all I wanted to do.”

It's a decision that has paid off, picking Syracuse over the likes of North Carolina, Indiana and his hometown school, Virginia. It was a choice influenced not only by Hall-of-Famer Jim Boeheim, but by one of the best players to ever don a Syracuse jersey: Syracuse assistant coach Gerry McNamara.

“That was one of the main reasons I committed here," Taylor said of McNamara. "Just to be able to work out every day, learn from him. It’s just been wonderful. He’s such a basketball mind. He knows so much about the game. So it’s been great learning from him. I can already see the improvements in my game. Just the areas we’re working on.”

It’s also a decision influenced by another recent Orange player, Jim Boeheim's youngest son, Buddy. The two are almost physically identical with similar skill sets, even sporting similar haircuts, which has led to some interesting times on the SU Hill.

“The first time I visited here, the summer going into my junior year, I was mistaken for Buddy Boeheim like five times," Taylor said. "We went to varsity. Someone thought I was Buddy. Just going around downtown because, you know, walking around with coach Boeheim, they thought I’d be Buddy. Super close to him. Watched a lot of his game, obviously, his junior and senior year. He’s definitely a guy, being in the system, I try to model my game after a little bit.”

And who knows? If Taylor finds a hot hand, he could get mistaken for Buddy by Boeheim.

“I haven’t been mistaken for Buddy by him yet, but it might happen soon," Taylor said with a laugh. "We’ll see.”