Collinsville Third-Grade Student Highlights Ray’Sean Taylor in Historic Tribute

Taylor says “being highlighted by an up-and-coming Kahok may be among his most heartwarming accomplishments.”

Mar 3, 2026 10:48 AM Mar 3, 2026 11:20 AM

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COLLINSVILLE - Deaundrae Higgs, a third-grade student at John A. Renfro Elementary School, used his 2026 Black History Museum display to honor Ray’Sean Taylor, a Collinsville High School Class of 2020 graduate and current SLB pro basketball player, Collinsville Community Unit School District #10 said in a social media post.

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The district said Higgs highlighted Taylor as a “Kahok hero from the not-too-distant past” as part of the school’s museum display.

Taylor earned multiple accolades during his playing career at Collinsville High School and SIUE Basketball, according to the district’s post and accompanying statistics.

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Taylor is an American basketball player for the Newcastle Eagles of the British Super League Basketball (SLB).

At SIUE, Taylor is the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,962 points and the all-time leader in 3-pointers made (298) and attempted (842), the district said. He also ranks second all-time in free throws made (388) and attempted (473), third in total field goals made (654) and second in field goals attempted (1,596), second all-time in steals (183), third all-time in assists (380) and fifth in games played (120), according to the district.

At Collinsville High School, Taylor is the school’s all-time leading scorer with more than 2,100 points, the district said. As a senior, he averaged 23.6 points per game, “good for ninth in the St. Louis area,” and added 6.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.6 steals per game, according to the district. The district said Taylor scored a school-record 53 points in a tournament game against Trinity Catholic of St. Louis and led the Kahoks to a 31-3 record and the school’s first outright Southwestern Conference championship since 1996.

The district described the recognition from Higgs as a meaningful moment for Taylor, writing that “being highlighted by an up-and-coming Kahok may be among his most heartwarming accomplishments.”