At an early age, Taelor always wanted to spend time with her older brother, so anything he was doing, she tried to do. If he was playing sports, so was she. He ended up introducing her to basketball and she says, “It was just something I picked up pretty easily.” Taelor grew up in a small town in Kansas, so when it came time to choose a college to attend, she chose to stay close to home and attend Kansas State University. At the time, she believed that Kansas State was a good fit for her and she “really liked the fact that her family could watch her play.”
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But
after Taelor’s sophomore year, Kansas State threw her a curveball. They told
her that they would not be renewing her scholarship, and this forced her to
find somewhere else to go. Taelor searched the country for a school that would
suit her where she could get a good education and continue playing basketball.
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Taelor went to Gonzaga expecting to
have to sit out a season due to NCAA rules, but to her, and many other peoples
surprise, she was granted immediate eligibility and stepped in to fill a big
role at Gonzaga. Taelor first game for Gonzaga was a big one, as she entered
the school just after star point guard Courtney Vandersloot left the school.
Anyone who came in after Courtney knew they had big shoes to fill.
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This confidence led Taelor to
become one of the best three point shooters in Gonzaga history, and she became
a leader on and off the court.
Following a heartbreaking loss in
the NCAA tournament, Taelor followed her dream of playing professional
basketball and was signed to a team in France. “Playing professional basketball
was a dream come true! It was something that I had always dreamed about and
wanted to do since I was a little girl, so for me to actually have the
opportunity to fulfill that dream was very special to me. It’s such a great
experience to be able to play a sport in another country and learn about their
culture. It’s cool to be able to broaden your horizons and see how other
countries live and function.”
After one season in France Taelor
came back to the United States and moved to Oregon. With this move, Taelor
followed Coach Kelly Graves to his new coaching position at the University of
Oregon. She is currently the Graduate assistant coach at Oregon and is pursuing
a Division one coaching career.
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Taelor has dedicated her whole life
to basketball and cannot wait to see what the future holds for her. She has had
“the time of her life.”