Taber gets start, helps deliver win

First, it was the F-bomb. Sunday, it was “Kyle Taber.”\nSeems like there are always surprising chants coming from the IU student section. \nIU coach Kelvin Sampson surprised Taber when he told him Saturday he would start against Northwestern the next day. Considering the former walk-on rarely sees action, let alone starts a game, the move caught many off guard, not excluding Taber. \n“I was pretty shocked at first, but I was excited as well,” Taber said after the game. “I was pretty nervous all night. It was hard to sleep.”\nAs Taber made his way from the court to IU’s bench in the last minute of IU’s 75-63 win against Northwestern on Sunday, the junior forward was serenaded by a standing ovation from the remaining Assembly Hall faithful. The former walk-on, who was rewarded for his hard work with a scholarship before the season began, started his first ever collegiate game during IU’s win.\nTaber never thought he’d see the day. \n“I was hoping if I got my number called, I could go in and do whatever I could,” he said. “I didn’t think I’d start.”\nBefore Saturday, Taber had played in less than half of IU’s games this season. When he did make it to the court this year, the games were nearly over with the outcome decided long before he entered.\nComing into Sunday’s game, Taber averaged 4.4 minutes in just nine games of action. \nAll that changed against Northwestern. Not only did the Evansville native start, he played 24 minutes – the most of any IU forward besides senior D.J. White. \n“We just haven’t been getting as much from that position as we’d like to see,” Sampson said. “At some points, you need to reward kids that work their butt off everyday.”\nTaber said he wasn’t sure how long he would stay on the court during the game. \n“I didn’t know if coach was starting me just to try to spark the team or what, but it was nice when he kept putting me back in,” he said. \nTaber tried his best not to disappoint his coach, either, grabbing four rebounds, forcing one turnover and blocking a shot – his highlight of the night. In the first half, Northwestern guard Sterling Williams drove past Taber, but as he leapt in the air for a layup, Taber swiped the ball from behind. \n“I’m glad I blocked it, but I let the guy get by me, so that was a bad part,” Taber said. “I’m glad I could recover from it.”\nThe 6-foot-7 forward said he wouldn’t mind seeing more playing time, but he just hopes he can help the team be productive in future contests. Sampson said that’s a possibility, depending on how well the team executes and how Taber practices.\n“I thought he did a nice job,” Sampson said. “He screens when he should screen. He cuts when he should cut. He gets on the floor after loose balls. He just has to play his role. He’s just a tough kid, too. I like Kyle.”