Quinnipiac Basketball: Alexis Reyes and Elijah Taylor commit to the Bobcats

It was a good 24 hours for Quinnipiac Basketball, landing a pair of talented newcomers in Alexis Reyes and Elijah Taylor. What do they bring to the Bobcats?

Baker Dunleavy and the Quinnipiac men’s basketball program received yet another boost with the commitments of both East Carolina transfer Alexis Reyes and Notre Dame transfer Elijah Taylor. Reyes and Taylor join an incoming class that already consists of Columbia transfer Ike Nweke and JUCO transfer Paul Otieno.

Reyes appeared in 10 games for the Pirates last season as a freshman and made two starts in which he averaged 1.5 PPG. He played his senior year of high school in Connecticut at Putnam Science Academy and is from Roxbury, MA, so he will fit in perfectly in Hamden.

Taylor appeared in just three games for the Fighting Irish last season and averaged 2.7 PPG and missed a majority of the season due to academic issues. He redshirted his first season during the 2020-21 campaign as he was recovering from injury. The Philadelphia native is looking to get his career back on track with the Bobcats.

Last season, the Bobcats had an underwhelming regular season and wound-up finishing last place in the MAAC, but as the 11 seed made a run all the way to the MAAC Tournament semifinals in which they fell to the eventual tournament champions St. Peter’s. They were led by junior guard Matt Balanc, who averaged 14.6 PPG, and sophomore guard Dezi Jones, who averaged 11.5 PPG.

Quinnipiac outlook for 2022-23

For next season, the Bobcats are losing a hefty amount of production including their starting frontcourt in Kevin Marfo and Jacob Rigoni, both of whom were playing in their extra 5th year of eligibility last season. The Bobcats are also losing to the transfer portal guards Bernie Blunt and Brendan McGuire and forwards Elias King and Brody Limric. McGuire has committed to Sacred Heart and Limric has committed to CCSU, but the other two are still undecided.

Reyes will fit right in with what the Bobcats need. The 6’7” wing is a very versatile defender who can knock down the three-ball, seeing he shot over 46% from downtown in his senior year of high school. With Rigoni graduating and going pro in his home country of Australia, his role as a three-point specialist opens up and is there for the taking.

Taylor will also fit in well with what Dunleavy envisions for his squad. The 6’8” big man brings athleticism and toughness down low that the Bobcats are losing from Marfo. While Taylor likely won’t produce to the level Marfo did, it’s always good to have that added depth down low.

As the offseason continues, the Bobcats and Dunleavy needed to continue to address the need for front-court depth. The backcourt is in great shape and very deep, with the likes of Jones, Balanc, Tymu Chenery, Tyrese Williams, Luis Kortright, and Savion Lewis providing them with one of, if not the best, backcourts in the MAAC. The frontcourt was thin last year, and the only returner of the bunch is JJ Riggins, so the additions of Reyes, Taylor, Nweke, and Otieno provide some much-needed insurance.

With Reyes and Taylor now in the fold, Quinnipiac should improve on that last-place finish from last season and have a deep, athletic frontcourt for years to come.