Taylor Funk: From rec room to Spectrum
Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays may be mundane in the work week, but for Taylor Funk, they brought the start of his basketball career.
“My dad would take me to the closest rec center on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday,” Funk said. “The men would get off work and then start hooping. And I’d always been playing against these older guys and — starting at a young age — and gradually was able to start playing with them.”
Between shooting from the sidelines and later, playing against the older crowd, Funk got in a lot of practice.
“Eventually, I just got good enough to play with them, and that’s kind of where I took off,” Funk said.
Funk, a graduate transfer from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, committed to Utah State in late March 2022. At St. Joseph’s, Funk averaged 13.2 points and nearly seven rebounds per game in 120 career games. In addition to his stellar stat line, Funk shot 40% from the field and 37% from the arc during his senior season.
How was Utah State able to sign this sharpshooter? According to Funk and head coach Ryan Odom, the recruiting process started when Funk was in high school.
“We tried to recruit Taylor when I was at UMBC. We didn’t get him, and he ended up at St. Joe’s, and so he was somewhat familiar with us,” Odom said. “We just started recruiting him right away, and we’re very fortunate we got him to visit pretty quickly.”
Funk said he remembers Odom calling him the first time before he signed at St. Joseph’s.
“The second time around, he got me,” Funk said, laughing.
The visit to Logan that followed Odom’s second call was a successful one.
“I came out on a visit, and it was wraps from there,” Funk said. “I fell in love with everything about this place: the team culture, coaches, the land, the people.”
And it wasn’t just Funk who came to Utah State. Funk’s father, Tim, said he and his wife moved to Logan during the basketball season to attend his son’s games.
Recruiting a sought–after transfer was the key for Utah State this season since the Aggies lost fan–favorite players Justin Bean, Brock “Mr. Clean” Miller and Brandon Horvath.
After entering the transfer portal, Funk was pursued by a long list of universities: Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, BYU, Colorado, Delaware, DePaul, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Iona, Loyola–Chicago, LMU, Michigan, Minnesota, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rice, Saint Louis, Tulane, VCU, William & Mary and Xavier, according to multiple reports.
Funk’s commitment was a big get for Utah State — so big the team named him a captain for the season.
“He obviously is poised for a great season. He’s done really well,” Odom said.
However, there were concerns about Funk’s health at the beginning of the season. At the Blue and White scrimmage in early October, Funk was in a boot. Previously, he had a hand injury that cut his sophomore season short, and another hand injury that ended his 2021–22 season in the Atlantic 10 tournament.
But Odom wasn’t worried.
“He’s not going to have the benefit of playing in the scrimmages, but he’s been here since April,” Odom said. “He’s been playing with these guys who have been practicing all summer, so he has a really good feel as a veteran player.”
In Funk’s first game with the Aggies, he dropped 18 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to complete a double–double in the Aggies’ 75–58 win over Utah Valley.
“He has a really intimate feel for his game, and he’s a natural fit for the way that we coach here,” Odom said. “He can really shoot the basketball.”
Funk’s new teammates noticed the impact he was already having, from his skills to his confidence and loud voice.
“He’s got really good energy,” guard Steven Ashworth said. “He knows a lot about the game and has a lot of knowledge that’s good to impart on the younger guys.”
Although Funk has been in Logan less than a year, he says he has learned a lot from Odom.
“He is very good at building competence in you. He got things out of me that I didn’t even know I was capable of doing,” Funk said. “He lets you mess up, that’s what’s cool about it. He really, really encourages you to get in the gym, get some extra reps up.”
Prospective recruits visiting Logan this season will see signs of a positive culture in Odom’s coaching and players’ attitudes.
“I’m a happy guy — it’s very rare you are going to see me down with an attitude. I love meeting new people,” Funk said. “I’ve always got a smile on my face.”
With high hopes and the right mindset, Funk is looking to lead the charge for the Aggies as they begin the onslaught of Mountain West Conference games.
Featured image by Sam Warner from the Utah Tech game.