Shawn Taylor has the ability to start at center for Fresno State, if he can stay out of foul trouble. But that's a pretty big if, nearly as tall as his 6-10 frame.
For now, the Bulldogs might be better off with Alex Blair starting at center. At 6-8, he's not going to block or redirect nearly as many shots as Taylor, but that's why he'll stay out of foul trouble.
Taylor could come off the bench after a few minutes, which would allow him to see the game from the sideline. I've seen this help a lot of younger players, and Taylor is still trying to come into his own.
He has spurts of greatness, when he blocks a shot in practice, sprints down the court, grabs a rebound and slams it in. Then, during Saturday's Red/Blue scrimmage, he collected two early fouls and watched most of the first game from the sideline.
The faster Taylor and Blair can earn decent minutes in the post, the faster Dominic McGuire can spend more time on the wing. This season's game plan -- which coach Steve Cleveland has said is extremely fluid -- is to start the season with a small lineup, including McGuire at center.
