Pic credit: Jesper Augustsson

Ex Dragons Rhondorf player Kameron Taylor should be in their Wall Of Fame. He only played one season for the Pro B team, but he is without a doubt one of the best players in their history if not the best. He dominated in the 2017-2018 after coming from the higher league Pro A and knowingly took a step back so he could make 2 steps forward. The rest is history as three years later he reached the Euroleague with Maccabi Tel Aviv and then ACB in Spain the other top league overseas where he has been a mainstay since 3 seasons. If you were to ask 100 Rhondorf fans who saw him play in the Dragon Dome 7 seasons ago, I would have the audacity to bet that all 100 fans would all have something positive to say about him. He had an impact with his play on the court and character off the court. It is always interesting to meet ex teammates especially guys from college, because they also only have positive things to report. Overseas Pro Trevor Blondin was able to play with him for 2 years and can truly say that he has found a lifelong friend in Taylor. “Kam was a lot of fun to play with, as long as you had him on your team you felt like you had a chance to win against anybody. He was very unselfish and always played the game the right way on both ends of the floor. If you were open, he was going to find you, but also he knew when to take over and put the team on his back. My fondest memory would probably be when we upset Indiana University of Pennsylvania. They were ranked in the top 10 of division 2 basketball at the time. Kam went crazy that game, I had a pretty good game and we ended up beating them at home in a packed arena. And let’s just say it was a huge party after that”, remembered Trevor Blondin. There was one game against Carlow where Blondin had 27 points and Taylor had a monster 26/16/6 game. Despite Taylor´s stellar play at Seton Hill, did it surprise him just how far he got overseas? “I think it surprises you a little bit because not many people from Division 2 make it to that level and also he started in some lower leagues in Germany Pro A and Hungary. But at the same time, it doesn’t surprise me because I’ve seen his work ethic in person and know what type of person he is, and if anybody was going to accomplish something that unbelievable it would definitely be him. Honestly, his success in Europe gave me the blueprint for what I wanted to accomplish in my career. In a way, it gave me some belief that if he can do it coming from Division 2 Seton Hill, that I could do it to. But I’m super proud of him, there’s not really a more deserving person. While I was in Patras Greece, he got me some tickets to watch him live when his team, Unicaja Malaga played against Promitheas Patras in the champions league final eight. That was cool to watch him play and talk to him after the game and he told me he was proud of me for making it this far. And that meant a lot to me coming from him & knowing where we both started at”, stressed Trevor Blondin. But who won a 1-1 then and who would win now?” The competitor in me is always going to bet on myself. But Kam is obviously a beast and we used to have some good battles in practice back in the day. He was a little older so he probably got the best of me back then, but I’m hoping we can link up this summer and run it back”, said Trevor Blondin. He may not have had the same kind of career as Kam Taylor, but he definitely knows how blessed he is to be overseas in his fifth season. “I feel very grateful for all of the experiences that I’ve had over the last 5 years. I’m getting paid to play a game that I love, I’ve lived in six different countries, I’ve travelled a lot, and met countless people. It’s given me a very unique perspective of the world. To still be playing meaningful basketball at a high level isn’t something that I take for granted and I’m going to continue to do it for as long as I can. Coming from a Division 2 school it wasn’t easy to get a job overseas initially, even after scoring over 20ppg my junior and senior seasons. But I used that as motivation and continued to work really hard on my game. I’ve improved a lot since then and feel like I’ve surpassed a lot of those Division 1 players that were recruited over me. So just always having that chip on my shoulder has probably helped me stick around in Europe for so long”, stated Trevor Blondin.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and Kameron Taylor in 2017 in Rhondorf

Trevor Blondin who lists the Martin twins, Caleb and Cody and Jordan McCrae, Mindaugas Kuzminskas, and Isaiah Cannon as his toughest foes in his career so far was born In Haymarket, Virginia on March 13, 1996 and began his basketball career at Battlefield High School. He then played at Seton Hill (NCAA2) from 2014-2019 and was able to improve his scoring average each season. His game really took off in his last 2 seasons as he averaged 19.9ppg, 4.1rpg, 2.3apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 43.0%, 3PT: 43.1%, FT: 70.5%, and 20.0ppg, 4.0rpg, 1.2apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 46.3%, 3PT: 38.2%, FT: 75.4%. “Coming in, I was more of a catch and shoot guy on the wing but as my body got stronger I was able to get to the basket more and become an all-around player. It was really helpful that I got a chance to start and play like 35 minutes a game from the moment I got there as a freshman. I think that in-game experience helped my game develop faster. I had a 30pt game against Millersville my Sophmore year and after that I knew I could score at high level. Also I had some really talented older teammates like Kam Taylor and Dave Windsor, who made me better by competing with them at practice every day. But by the time I left, I was a scoring machine I averaged 20+ points a game my last two seasons and was 1st team all-conference in the PSAC”, remembered Trevor Blondin. He scored in double figures in 59 of 82 games at Seton Hill and in his last 2 seasons scored in double figures in 47 of 49. He had so many great games like hitting Clarion for 31 points and memories and actually had 2 coaches then with Tony Morocco and Kendrick Saunders and had mixed emotions about the 2 as one fit and the other didn´t. “The Clarion game was cool because I had my whole family in attendance. I remember they couldn’t really guard me that game. But my favorite memory was probably the And-1 3- point shot, game winner I made against California university of Pennsylvania. We had an improbable come back in the second half. I had like six points at half time and finished the game with 32. I knew the shot was good before the ball even went through the net. You can look it up on YouTube. Tony Morocco I really can’t say enough good things about him. I don’t think I would be here today without him. He really helped me develop as a basketball player and as a person on the court. He really cared about his players and their families and I have some really great memories playing for him. Kendrick Saunders on the other hand, was the complete opposite. He was hired my senior season, and would repeatedly tell us that we weren’t “his guys” because he didn’t recruit us, so we were expendable and he didn’t care about us. He created an extremely hostile environment that killed all the joy of playing basketball. So when I got to Europe the next season, it was a breath of fresh air playing for Jarno Nikula in Finland and I regained that joy from playing basketball again”, stressed Trevor Blondin.

The walking bucket who lists Alexander Pevadze, Josh Perkins, Kam Taylor, Ivan Gandia-Rosa, and Orlando Coleman as his 5 best teammates of all-time began his professional career overseas with UU-Korihait Uusikaupunki (Finland-Korisliiga) averaging 13.8ppg, 4.4rpg, 3.5apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 51.2%, 3PT: 28.0%, FT: 69.1%. Every pro baller overseas had that certain wake up call to being overseas and it wasn´t any different for him. “I think maybe our first preseason game against Vilpas. I just remember noticing the drums and horns that fans bring to the game, that was new for me. You don’t really hear that in an American College basketball game. It really stood out to me at first but it’s funny because now I don’t even notice it anymore. Also the snow, cold temperatures, and darkness in Finland was different than anything I’d experienced before. I mean -20 degrees, with 2ft of snow on the ground, and 3 hours of sunlight everyday is not for the faint hearted”, added Trevor Blondin. He scored in double figures in 11 games and hit Ura Basket for 30 points. He will never forget having the perfect mentor in Trey Zeigler. “ It was incredibly valuable having Trey as a teammate and a mentor my rookie year. Not only was he a great player on the court and putting up ridiculous numbers that season. I really soaked up a lot knowledge from our conversations about the business side of pro basketball, and how to move up leagues, and navigate agents. I feel really lucky that I had an experienced guy like him on my team to show me the ropes. I think it really helped me make crucial decisions in my career later down the road. Shoutout to Trey Ziegler, he’s had a great transition into coaching college basketball for some really high level programs the last few years”, stated Trevor Blondin. He played his second pro season with Inter Bratislava (Slovakia-Nike SBL) averaging 15.8ppg, 5.0rpg, 2.0apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 55.2%, 3PT: 39.0%, FT-1 (92.7%). He played Spisski Rytieri tough in the regular season and then got swept 2-0. Despite not winning a chip, it was another enriching season for him. “I have good memories playing for Inter Bratislava in Slovakia. I think statistically that was one of my best seasons. Oleg Meleshchenko was an intense coach but also one of my favorites. I always liked playing for coaches that have played at a high level themselves and he played for the Soviet Union national team back in the day and has also coached at some high level teams in Russia and around Europe. Life was pretty good living in Bratislava and that team was a lot of fun to play on because we played an unselfish brand of basketball. Ivan Gandia-Rosa was our point guard, Džiguas Slavinskas was a great passer from the four position, Michael Fusek led the league blocks & we had Jure Zubac, & Timo Malovec as well. We had a lot of talented players, who went on to play for national teams, and in higher leagues. The series against Spisski was unfortunate because we had beaten them easily three out of four times in the regular season and we were dealing with injuries late in the season, and then unfortunately we got swept in the playoffs to a team that we thought we were better than. Definitely felt like we let one get away, I thought our team was championship caliber for that league”, commented Trevor Blondin. He scored in double figures in 19 games including exploding for 33 points against Prievidza.

In his third pro season, the Virginia native who lists LeBron James, Allen Iverson, Gilbert Arenas, & Jamal Crawford on his personal NBA Mount Rushmore played with Laguna Sharks Bucuresti (Romania-Liga Nationala) averaging 12.9ppg, 3.9rpg, 3.3apg, FGP: 44.1%, 3PT: 32.5%, FT: 74.4%. Once again he was battling in the post season, but that chip once again was denied, but he got a new stamp on his passport. He played a tough 5 games series against Steaua B and the last 3 games weren´t decided combined with more than 5 points. “That was a wild series, I’ll never forget that. I don’t think anybody gave us a fighting chance to comeback and win that series after we were down 0-2. We pulled off a miracle with our backs up against the wall and won 3 straight games to avoid relegation. That was just a group of guys that had a dog mentality and never gave up. We definitely celebrated that win afterwards. Shoutout to everybody from Laguna, I really liked that group of teammates and I think I developed a lot as a point guard that season thanks to Daniel Nelson and Milan Minic. Romania is definitely a hidden gem, Bucharest will always have a special place in my heart. I met a lot of cool people in my time living out there, it was honestly a blast. I wouldn’t mind making a return to the Romanian league one day”, warned Trevor Blondin. Once again he was consistent again with his scoring in double figures in 19 of 26 games including netting 22 points against Dinamo B and 21 points against Targu Jiu. Last season he split time with Okapi Aalst (Belgium-Pro Basketball League) averaging 10.8ppg, 1.8rpg, 1.5apg, 2FGP: 40.6%, 3FGP: 30.8%, FT: 76.1%, in Mar.’24 moved to AS Apollon Patras (Greece-GBL) averaging 11.4ppg, 2.5rpg, 2.8apg, FGP: 63.6%, 3PT: 30.3%, FT: 95.0%. Last season was another stepping stone in his career. He finally made the jump to higher leagues. “It’s been a grind each season trying to bubble and move up the ranks of Europe. From starting in the Korisliiga in Finland to making it all the way to the Greek league is definitely something I’m proud of. It feels like the trials and tribulations were worth it. It was a lot of fun playing in Greece, you’re playing against Champions League & Euroleague caliber teams every night, there’s no easy games. It’s a bunch of killers and former NBA players on every team and you got to bring your A-game every night. Add in the crazy atmosphere that the Greek fans bring and it’s just a really fun environment for basketball. The fans show you a lot of love off the court also”, stated Trevor Blondin. He had some growing pains first in Belgium and the demonstrated in Greece that he could hold his own against Euroleague and NBA guys. “Playing for Okapi was a necessary step in my journey. I liked playing for Thomas Crab, I thought he was a good coach. I think I proved that I could play at that level right away scoring 17 points against champions league team Oostende the first game of the season. But I struggled with inconsistency throughout the season. Everything prior to Okapi had gone pretty smoothly in my career, so I think I needed to face that adversity in order to grow as a player and as a person. I have a lot of great memories living in Belgium. Brussels is one of my favorite cities and it was really enjoyable from a day to day life standpoint. Being the only American was tough at times, but not something that I really gave a whole lot of thought to”, expressed Trevor Blondin. In Greece he lost 30 points to Euroleague team Olympiacos. He held his own with 12 points and played against many ex NBA players including Isaiah Caanon. “That game was special to me. My goal was always to try to make it to the highest level of Europe, so it doesn’t really get much higher than that. It felt like the culmination of the basketball journey that I’ve been on since I was a little kid. I mean as a basketball fan you would pay good money to watch Olympiacos play but all of a sudden you’re on the floor playing against them and really seeing what Euroleague caliber looks like up close. But more so that you just want to prove to yourself that you belong at that level. I felt like I made some plays that showed that, like stealing the ball from Papanikalaou and getting a breakaway dunk, knocking down a couple of threes. Blowing up a hand off with Wright and Larentzakis. I mean, that’s arguably a top 3 team in Europe and a team that doesn’t really make a lot of mistakes, so to be able to force a couple turnovers against them. It really just started to feel like another basketball game at the end of the day”, stressed Trevor Blondin. In Belgium he scored in double figures in 12 times including 20 points against Mechelen and in Greece scored in double figures in 6 of 8 games including 24 points against PAOK

This season the scoring guard who lists Lebron James as his GOAT and feels they should of left the classic Coming To America alone is playing in Sweden for Boras Basket. It is his fifth professional season and sixth team and in his sixth country. A basketball globetrotter would be the perfect middle name for him. “It’s pretty crazy to think back on my career and all the different places the game has taken me. It feels like it was just yesterday that I signed my rookie deal in Finland. I was on the plane traveling to Europe for the first time not really knowing what to expect and now years later, here we are. It’s been a fun journey to say the least”, added Trevor Blondin. He signed recently as the job market wasn´t as easy for him as in the past. “It was an interesting off-season for sure. I thought I would get bigger offers after playing well in Greece and having good games against teams like Olympiacos, AEK, and PAOK. I had some offers that I turned down waiting for something better. Once I missed the summer signing window and the season started it got a little stressful. But I just stayed in the gym working out everyday with my trainer Moe Gray from B1B. My homie Nigel Johnson was in a similar situation at the time before he signed in Hungary and we just got after it everyday. They really helped me a lot just by showing up everyday and helping me stay locked in mentally. Eventually, I got the call from Borås and I’m really happy in my current situation”, said Trevor Blondin. He is on a great team and fully aware that he could win his first pro chip. “ That’s always been a goal of mine to win a championship at any level in pro basketball. That was a big reason why I joined this team because of the early success that they’ve had this season as well as their aspirations to win a championship. I think there’s a belief within this team that we have the right pieces in place to achieve great things. We have some talented younger guys mixed with some older experienced guys that know the league well and have a high basketball IQ. So I’m just excited to be a part of it and try to help them win games”, stressed Trevor Blondin. He has been really thankful for having a great teammate like Andreas Person for taking him under his wing. “He’s definitely played a vital role in my adjustment with this team. He’s got a lot of experience; he’s a great shooter, defender, and has a high basketball IQ. We got some other veteran guys that have helped me a lot too like Simon Gunnarsson and Fred Andersson. You can tell how much winning means to these guys”, expressed Trevor Blondin. He came in and scored in double figures in his first game. Scoring continues to be his bread and butter no matter where he plays. “ I think scoring has always just come natural to me. I love having the ball in my hand and from AAU, high school, and college, that’s always been my role. Coming from Division 2 they needed me to score 20 points a night and gave me the green light, so I think that helped me develop my offensive game a lot. I try not to be one dimensional because teams are going to scout you and figure out your weaknesses. So I try to be as versatile as possible and not have too many weaknesses. I’ve always been able to shoot the ball pretty well from three, I can get to the basket, or play o the ball. I just try to mix it up and be unpredictable. This offseason-season in particular, I think I’ve expanded my game and taken it to a whole new level. I’m excited to showcase it this season in Sweden”, warned Trevor Blondin. It will be interesting to see where his basketball journey goes in the next years. Who knows maybe he will suit up with Kam Taylor again. But for now he has only one goal and that is to win his first pro title.

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