Patterson alum Grogan finds new home at Wiley College

After this past spring in his sophomore season at Louisiana College, Patterson High alum Taylan Grogan wanted a change.
After two years at Louisiana College where he excelled on the basketball court, he felt that he needed more of a challenge, competition and coaching wise.
He found that fit with Coach Jay Smith at NAIA-member Wiley College, a Historically Black College and University in Marshall, Texas.
“At Louisiana College, everything was good, but I wanted to get better, and with Coach Jay, everything’s going to get me better,” Grogan said Tuesday evening after his team’s close loss to Division 1 Southern University in Baton Rouge. “He’s going to improve me, skill-wise, mentally, teach me more things about basketball.”
Grogan, who also was recruited by Jamestown University in North Dakota, too, said he felt the move to a different school was a better “business move” as well as the right one, academically.
“I felt like Wiley fit me more, my personality and the way I play, because it’s up-tempo ball here,” Grogan said. “At Louisiana College, we didn’t really play up-tempo. It was more of a half-court set.”
Grogan, a 5-foot, 11-inch junior point guard, has started seven games this year and is averaging 7.1 points per contest. He also has pulled down 14 rebounds, has 21v assists and seven steals.
At the moment he is sidelined on crutches with what he said is a sprained ankle suffered at practice Monday.
“I’ll be back soon,” Grogan said. “I’ll be back before conference (play begins).”
Smith, who met Grogan’s father, Anthony Richardson Sr. while playing pickup games at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in college and has known Grogan since he was younger, said Grogan has been a good addition for the squad.
“He’s worked his tail off, and he’s been a really good addition to our program this season,” Smith said.
Grogan said he’s thought he’s done well this season.
“I had a few games I was mentally not there, but it’s going to be good,” he said. “I’m going to shake back.”
At Louisiana College, Grogan played in 17 games as a sophomore with no starts but ranked third on the team in scoring, averaging 10.8 points per contest. He also averaged 2.3 rebounds per contest.
Grogan had 23 assists and 26 steals.
As a freshman, he played in 22 games with 12 starts. He averaged 13.6 points per game, two rebounds and also recorded 51 assists, 27 steals and five blocks.
Grogan ranked second on the team in scoring and was one of just two freshmen in the American Southwest Conference to rank in the top 20 in scoring. He also led Louisiana College in 3-point field goals and free throws made.
Following his freshman season, Grogan earned American Southwest Conference East All-Freshman Team and East Honorable Mention honors.
He also was selected to the d3hoops.com All-South Region Team, earning All-South Region Rookie of the Year.
At Wiley College, he is one of six Louisiana players on the roster.
In fact, before taking the head coaching position at Wiley College, Smith was an assistant coach at LSU-Alexandria. Prior to joining the collegiate coaching ranks, he worked as an assistant at Comeaux High School.
Grogan is majoring in criminal justice.