How 407Basketball's father-son duo is growing Class of 2032 basketball prospect's future

At the End of Summer Slam basketball tournament in July 2025, head coach and 407Basketball’s Director of Operations Terrance Taylor watched his team trail against a competitive team. 

He scanned the bench and saw his now 12-year-old son Josiah Taylor on the bench. 

Terrance Taylor told Josiah to check in. 

Josiah stepped onto the court as a different player. He came in, hit three 3-pointers, made stops on defense and dished the ball out to his teammates extremely well. The team came back to win the game. 

Josiah’s determination to win the game came from more than his desire to win but also the watching eyes of his dad. 

“It’s a self desire but you want to make me proud,” Terrance Taylor said to Josiah who nodded in agreement. 

Inside the walls of 407Basketball’s facility in Ocoee, the pair have been working together as Josiah fine tunes his craft to work toward becoming a future professional.

Just like his dad, who played overseas for the Dominican Republic. 

BECOMING AN ICON 

In New York, everyone plays basketball, Terrance Taylor said. He grew up in that environment and picked up the ball when he was 13 years old and never put it back down. A neighborhood rival frequently outplayed him on the court. Rather than being discouraged, he used the losses as motivation. 

“I would go home every day and work so hard on my skills that eventually I was able to beat him,” he said. “Once I was able to accomplish that, I fell in love with the game even more.” 

His commitment carried him through high school basketball, four years of college basketball and eventually to playing professionally for the Dominican Republic for about four years. Playing overseas exposed Terrance Taylor to a higher level of competition and gave him a new perspective on the sport. 

“It’s bigger than just playing a game,” he said. “You have to be committed beyond the sport. You can’t get homesick. You have to be all about it.” 

Although his playing career eventually came to an end about 15 years ago, his desire to work within the sport and teach it grew — and so did his children. 

Josiah began playing basketball competitively when he was 7 years old. He has been inspired by his dad’s pathway into the sport professionally and already has begun to think of how he can follow suit. His focus is on the years ahead and the tournaments that lie in his pathway. 

The two share a similar competitive nature and displeasure with compliance. 

Josiah already is ranked No. 5 in Florida for the Class of 2032 players.  

Photo by Megan Bruinsma

“The game just comes to me,” he said. 

While his ranking gives him confidence, it also reminds him of the work that’s left to do. Being No. 5 means there still are four players ahead of him, and he is determined for it to change. Josiah’s work ethic and ability to never be satisfied with the work he has put in is one of his most desirable qualities that sets him apart from others, Terrance Taylor said. 

“He’s coachable,” Terrance Taylor said. “He has a great attitude. He’s an introvert … he’s a good kid and he shares with his (teammates). He doesn’t pull anyone down.” 

SHAPING HIS DEVELOPMENT

Terrance Taylor began coaching for Windermere Basketball Academy before it transitioned to 407Basketball in January. There, he works to provide the young athletes with guidance he wishes he had received when he was in their shoes. 

“I was self-taught,” he said. “There are certain things that I wish I had when I was young. I want to give that back to the kids.” 

Among the many athletes he sees on a daily basis at 407Basketball is Josiah, and Terrance Taylor has been able to translate his lessons to develop his son into the accomplished rising seventh-grade player he is. 

Josiah already is competing on a team filled with players who are two grade levels older than him, which shows his strengths but also his weaknesses. 

His biggest area for growth is decision-making, both Taylors said. 

“The speed and strength forces him to think,” Terrance Taylor said of Josiah playing with older players. “His decision-making is iffy at times, but I know it’s because he’s young and learning.” 

When Terrance Taylor was coaching Josiah’s team, they’d spend between eight and 12 hours per week together and treated basketball almost as a part-time job. Josiah has intentionally been put into drills that challenge his way of thinking. 

“I try to put him in fast, sped-up moments where he has to play really fast but still think,” Terrance Taylor said. “That’s when you’re going to make the most mistakes, when you’re going faster than you can process. So that’s what I try to put into those (drills) and then I also try to create obstacles when he’s training to know where his area is to make passes.”

407Basketball’s new facility in Ocoee has been a phenomenal place to help hone-in on Josiah’s development. He has access to turf training, sprint work, weight lifting and athletic testing, which has given him measurable and attainable results and goals. 

STATISTICS AND LOGISTICS

In four months, Josiah’s vertical jump has improved from 26 inches to 33 inches. He also has cut down his 10-yard dash from 1.39 seconds to 1.25 seconds. Seeing the numbers improve have reinforced Josiah in the efforts of his training. 

Josiah can’t pinpoint exactly why the sport calls to him over others, but he has a deep love for it. This summer has allowed him to branch out for the first time through 407Sports’ summer camps. 

Terrance Taylor said Josiah’s participation in football and other sports camps such as soccer will help him to become a more complete athlete, and it’s another important part of his development. 

But it also secured Josiah’s belief that basketball is his calling. 

Besides his dad as a figure he looks up to, Josiah’s favorite player is the Golden State Warriors’ guard Steph Curry. Watching Curry’s games and other college or NBA games always is intentional. 

The Taylors watch games together and frequently will pause them to analyze what the professionals are doing. Terrance Taylor breaks down the plays and decisions NBA players make to Josiah as an example of what to do in high-stake situations. 

“I try to prepare him for it as much as I can because he’s young,” Terrance Taylor said. “I might show him this moment, but it might go in one ear and out the next. The more I keep repeating and being repetitive, he’ll eventually catch on again so that’s why I try to (show) any situation I see that he’s either seen it before or he’ll probably see it in the future.” 

In the meantime, Josiah will work with his dad to becoming No. 1 in the state.