LA GRANDE — Oftentimes it is said that connections you make in sports can last a lifetime.

For Emmit Taylor III, the Eastern Oregon University men’s basketball program is providing the opportunity to rekindle past connections and team up with former teammates — the transfer guard previously played with two of Eastern’s top returning players, Phillip Malatare and Ismael Valdez. The accomplished shooting guard is leaving the Division I ranks to bring his perimeter shooting prowess to La Grande next season.

“Chris (Kemp) has the team going in the right direction. He just needed a little more pieces,” Taylor said. “I think I can really come into Eastern Oregon and have an impact right away.”

The graduate transfer, who has one year of eligibility remaining, comes to Eastern after playing last season at Division I Idaho State. Taylor averaged five points per game, scoring in double figures off the bench in five games.

Prior to making the leap to the Division I ranks, Taylor was a standout at Northern Idaho College — he averaged 13.9 points per game in the 2018 season off 42.9% shooting from 3-point range. Taylor scored a career-high 46 points in a game that season, hitting 12 3-pointers. In his sophomore year, he averaged 11 points per game and shot 36.6% from long range.

North Idaho College, where Eastern head coach Chris Kemp was an assistant for the 2016-17 season, has several ties to Eastern that played a role in Taylor’s decision to transfer. The guard played two seasons with Malatare and Valdez, two key players in last year’s rotation at Eastern — Malatare averaged 19.2 points per game and was named to the NAIA Honorable Mention All-American team.

“I played with Ismael (Valdez) and Phillip (Malatare) at North Idaho and I knew Chris Kemp through my coaches,” Taylor said. “I’m comfortable playing with those two, so we have a pretty good chemistry. I think we’ll be able to play together pretty well.”

For Kemp, recruiting Taylor was one of his top priorities this offseason.

“I hope he can be one of those leaders, especially with the experience he has,” Kemp said of Taylor. “Just being in that Division I program and the experience he has with some of the leaders on our team, we hope to get him rolling right away and have that seamless transition.”

Taylor stated that the idea of playing with his former teammates played a part in his selection process, knowing that he, Valdezand Malatare were able to build good chemistry on the court in the two seasons they played together. He also noted that the three were roommates at Northern Idaho, helping build a solid connection on and off the court.

“I think it will be a pretty smooth transition,” Taylor said. “I think it will be just going back to what worked for the three of us at NIC.”

Humble beginnings have helped shape the player and individual Taylor is today. He is Yakama/Nez Perce from Lapwai, Idaho — the school’s enrollment is just more than 100 students. Coming from a small town to playing Division I basketball, Taylor has taken life lessons at each stop along the way.

“Everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve learned something important,” he said. “Coming from a small town, it’s easy to not get looked at.”

Taylor noted that as one of the first-ever athletes from Lapwai to compete at the Division I level, he takes pride in being able to represent his community.

“I think my town will take a lot of the credit for getting to where I am, since it was a big part of growing up,” Taylor said. “We’re a big, tight-knit community so it’s pretty cool.”

Kemp and Taylor both noted that the guard will look to have a leadership role in addition to his shooting prowess, an opportunity that was often not as easily achieved on previous teams.

“He wanted me to take a bigger role, and I also wanted to take a bigger role,” Taylor said. “I’ve always been more of a role player, so I want to take that leadership role and I think I’m capable of that.”

The Mountaineers are coming off an 18-13 season in which the team went 12-10 in conference play and was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Cascade Collegiate Conference tournament. Entering his first season as a Mountaineer and last year of collegiate eligibility, Taylor is setting the bar high for next season.

“I definitely want to win a conference title and try to be as highly ranked as we can,” Taylor said. “I think we’re capable of being ranked highly. We have a great chemistry and balance of players, so I think it will work out really well.”