PRAIRIE VIEW — From the moment Tai’Reon Joseph decided college basketball was the next step in his career, the Baton Rouge native was fully expecting it to be a journey.
He just had no idea how much of a journey it would be. Five years and five different colleges.
Prairie View is the latest and final stop in Joseph’s college career, and it’s looking like his best move yet.
“I put everything in God’s hands and let it happen,” said Joseph, who came to PV after entering the transfer portal following one season at UTSA. “My first year … When your coaches leave, you never know what’s going to happen. That was a couple of my situations, just new coaching staffs, and they bring their own guys in.
“But it’s been a journey. Every place that I stopped at, I learned something. Everything is a learning step, so I just take it as that. I don’t take it as nothing bad. With the portal, that’s kind of the world that we live in today.”
Joseph’s college journey began at Radford in 2021, then he transferred to Austin Peay. Next he stayed close to home at Southern before landing at UTSA in 2024. For sure, he has played a lot of basketball, filled many different roles, and gained a great deal of experience along the way.
Joseph, known as Scootah, has brought all that he has endured and learned over the years with him to Prairie View. And finally, it all seems to be clicking for the dynamic scoring guard who ranks second in the SWAC and 20th in the nation in scoring this season, averaging 21.0 points per game.
Prairie View coach Byron Smith was in the market for a versatile scorer when he saw Joseph’s name in the transfer portal last spring. Smith had tried to recruit Joseph before, so he was familiar with his story and abilities on the basketball court.
“Some people might think it’s all about just scoring and stuff. I score because my coaches and players put me in position to, but it’s all bout winning. If you win, the whole team is happy. That’s what we are here to do, win.”
Tai’Reon Joseph
“Obviously, he has been around a few places, and I think he would be the first to admit he has not always handled adverse situations as well as he should,” said Smith, who also has another dynamic scorer in Dontae Horne. “But I think he has grown so much as a young man. He is a joy to be around. His teammates love him. He is very pleasant.
“I just think God’s grace and mercy gave us an opportunity because we desperately needed someone like him.”
In a lot of ways, the Panthers have been exactly what Joseph needed, as well. He has found a team and a coaching staff that allows him to be himself.
“The team is good. We have all gelled together,” said Joseph, who earned his bachelor’s degree in Multidisciplinary Studies at UTSA and is pursuing a graduate degree in Physical Education at Prairie View. “We might bump heads, but at the end of the day, it’s still one team, and we’ve still got to go out and get the win together.”
Joseph’s ability to create instant offense has given the Panthers the confidence that they can be successful when he is on the floor. During last weekend’s rivalry game against Texas Southern at the Baby Dome, Joseph broke open what had been a close game with some big 3-pointers and drives to the basket down the stretch to deliver the Panthers an 85-78 home win. Joseph finished with a game-high 31 points, which included 11-of-23 shooting from the floor, 5-of-12 from the 3-point range, to go along with four rebounds and two assists in 40 minutes.
Joseph was still battling an injury against the Tigers, but his effort was good enough to break a four-game losing skid in which he missed one game and scored well below his average in the other three losses. He was recognized this week as the SWAC Impact Player of the Week for his efforts against TSU.
“These are the games he came to Prairie View for, hearing about the Prairie View-Texas Southern is obviously really big,” said Smith, who has expressed some concerns about how Joseph’s injury has been dealt with by the school. “It was the biggest crowd we’ve had this year. It was big for him to knock down shots. We needed him to win this game.”
His teammates have not just enjoyed Joseph but also seem genuinely to appreciate what he brings to the table. During a three-week stretch from Dec. 23 to Jan. 6, Joseph was recognized as the SWAC Player of the Week for three consecutive weeks after having big games against Texas A&M, along with Grambling and Southern.
“Seeing him doing it the first time, you’re like `Wow, he is really good.’ Then he did it again and again and again,” said Prairie View forward Joey Madimba. “This guy is the best player in the SWAC. I think he should be the player of the year. He is elite.”
But as prolific of a scorer as Joseph is, he is an even better teammate.
“He’s a great teammate,” Madimba said. “He is always getting us energized, he’s always talking to us, he’s always laughing and talking to the quiet players on the team. He’s a really good dude, and he is one of my closest friends on the team.”
TAI’REON JOSEPH
Position: Guard
Height: 6-3 Weight: 180
Class: Graduate Student
The Numbers: Ranks second in the SWAC and fourth in the nation in scoring with a 21 points per game average.
