The two transfers bring a different look to this year’s team, resulting in confidence that the Mustangs can win no matter the opponent, according to third-year head coach Joe Callero.
“We wouldn’t be as highly competitive and wouldn’t have had such a good start to the year (without them),” he said. “Because of their strength, their skill and their compatibility they give us a chance to feel that any game, any night we’re capable of winning it.”
Born in the Dominican Republic, Fermin moved to the Bronx, New York when he was 7 years old. After attending top-ranked John F. Kennedy High School, known for basketball, Fermin bounced around several community college programs before finding his home at Cal Poly for his senior season.
Fermin passed up basketball scholarship offers from major college programs including Cincinnati, DePaul and Maryland to come play for Callero. Fermin attributes his desire to come to California — a state that he had never been to — to his and Callero’s like-mindedness.
“I got a phone call from Callero and we spoke, and it was like a mirror image,” Fermin said. “The way he spoke to me, I felt that connection. I felt like what he wanted was the same thing I wanted. I needed some substance. I needed somewhere to go where there was going to be a fresh start and new coaches.”
Fermin’s statistics at the junior college level led to his heavy recruitment by college basketball programs big and small around the country. As a sophomore at Hagerstown College he averaged 17.5 points, more than eight assists, four rebounds and more than a steal per game with the Hawks. His 44 percent shooting percentage from the field earned him all-Maryland Junior College first team honors, and he ranked fifth in all of JuCo (junior college) basketball in assists during the 2008-09 season.
But it would take Fermin more than two years to showcase his talents and finally don a Mustang uniform. The senior was lacking in academic credits after arriving on the Central Coast, forcing him to take a rigorous path of study to become eligible for the 2010-11 season.
After completing two 20-unit quarters and one nine-unit summer quarter, Fermin was set to play for the opening game of the 2010-11 season. But Fermin was dealt another setback — one that couldn’t be solved purely through hard work. A torn ACL, an injury only time and rehab can heal, would sideline the transfer for another year as he was required to redshirt the campaign.
Referring to his leadership qualities, Fermin is “the head of the snake” and one of the most underrated players in the Big West Conference, Callero said.
“(Fermin) is the real leader of this team when it comes down to it,” Callero said. “He’s got to constantly bring the ball up, he sets the offense up. He has to take really difficult shots at the end of the shot clock. Sometimes that hurt his shooting percentage, but he understands that’s his role and he’s willing to do that.”
For Taylor, the path to Cal Poly was just as arduous. Wanting to play Division I basketball with his best friend “A,” as he affectionately refers to Amaurys, the 6-foot-7 forward was forced to fly out to the Central Coast on his own dime in hopes of convincing Callero he deserved a spot on Cal Poly’s roster. Per NCAA rules, recruiting universities have only three official visits available to prospective players — Fermin was the final official visit of that year.
After trying out with the team and impressing the coaching staff, Taylor was granted a chance to play basketball for Cal Poly on the condition that he had to prove himself on the court in his first year.
As a junior for the Mustangs in 2009-10, Taylor averaged 4.9 points, five rebounds per game and led the squad with 28 steals on the year. While he showed Callero he could play, Taylor wasn’t satisfied with his performance.
The Maryland native redshirted the 2010-11 season to focus on losing weight and “getting serious about basketball” to become a more complete player.
Now 40 pounds lighter, Taylor has started every game for the Mustangs in 2011-12. He leads the Big West Conference shooting 55.2 percent from the field and leads Cal Poly with 8.1 rebounds per game.
Callero cites the seniors’ rough road to earning starting positions with the Mustangs for their characteristic leadership skills of this year’s team.
“They paid full price for this experience,” Callero said. “How much time they’ve put in to get to this point where they’re seniors, on-line to graduate, both averaging close to double-figure points … You don’t get a half price discount to be number one. They’ve put themselves in a position to where they’re real leaders of this team.”
Taylor also attributes his improved work ethic to the synergistic relationship he has with Fermin.
“I’ve never played with a point guard that could make so many plays,” Taylor said of Fermin. “You hate playing against him because he’ll do anything it takes not to lose … His mentality has rubbed off on me. You gotta keep playing hard and you can’t quit until you’re winning. (Fermin) brings that out of me. (He tells me) ‘You got to dog it, you got to play hard.’ It’s just like having a coach with you.”
The two former community college teammates now live together as roommates and spend almost every day together. Whether it’s who has the newest watch or the crispest New York Yankees hat, their competitiveness off the court has only solidified their relationship.
“That bond, that friendship has always been there,” Taylor said. “On the court we have chemistry, but off the court it’s even better because I hang out with him and we room together … We came here to together, we’re going to leave here together. After (Cal Poly) we’re still going to be friends because we came from the same place, and I think it’s really special what we have.”