Girls basketball team stronger than ever

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Craig Sanislo

"Willie can be tough or hard on the team but we all know that he only does it because he wants us to do our best. He is usually really nice to us and he's a great coach," said Emily White.

The girls basketball team seems like an ordinary team at first glance, but after a while it is easy to see that they have a bond tighter than most other teams, and are led by a coach with a unique set of objectives for his team.

The Coach of the team, Willie Taylor, has been coaching basketball for 30 years and currently is in his second season at Stillwater Area High School.

“My best memory from coaching this team is last year during the quarterfinals, Mahtomedi was up by 15, but the girls worked incredibly hard to come back, and closed the gap to four. They did not win, but they had a motivation that was great to watch,” Taylor said.

Coach Taylor then explained the team’s goal. “Our main goal as a team this season is to get a home playoff game,” Taylor said.

Coach Taylor is a coach who leads by example, not only wanting to make his team better athletes, but better people.

“I try to teach some life lessons through my coaching. I try to make them understand that things like hard work and dedication pay off, not just in sports, but everything. I coach by treating my players how I want to be treated. With respect, but that doesn’t mean I am not tough on them. But they know that I coach them hard because I care,” Taylor said.

Coach Taylor then described teaching how race is not important, and how it is not a defining characteristic of people. He also explained how Stillwater is a predominantly white school, and how people’s views can be skewed.

“One lesson I have taught them, is that people are people, no matter your differences black or white,” Taylor said.

Most coaches choose to coach youth sports because they are passionate about the sport and hope to continue around the sport they love. Willie Taylor is no different in that aspect, but what is unique about him, is how he also coaches because he feels a responsibility to be a positive influence in the lives of his athletes.

“When I was a teenager, I was a foster kid, and I really didn’t have parents. This meant that my coaches picked up that slack and I turned to them for guidance, and they taught me right from wrong. So I do my best to pass that on to these girls and try to be the same type of influence in their lives,” Taylor said.

Coach Taylor descried his favorite part of coaching the team.

“The best part of coaching is to see how the girls grow up and mature from ninth grade to twelfth grade, because most of them, I coach for four seasons of basketball. I love seeing the team smile and laugh, because it just makes me smile and laugh,” Taylor said.

Coach Taylor’s positive coaching style has clearly rubbed off on the team.

“Something I have learned from basketball is being a team player, and how everything you do is for the team not for you,” junior Emily White said.

Another player then added what she learned from being on the team.

“I feel like basketball has taught me how to really interact with people and challenge myself to always strive for the best,” junior Chelaina Daniels said.

Some players then remembered their favorite memories of being on the team.

“The most fun part of the experience for me is team bonding. Hanging out with each other and just spending a lot of time with the team is really fun,” White said.

“Some of the best moments with the team are in the locker room before a game, or the circle after announcing the starters,” Daniels said.

However, players seem to agree that there is not just one or two aspects of the team that make it fun, instead, the whole experience.

“The entire experience is fun and there is not one specific part of it,” White said.

The success of the girls basketball team is built on a few key players, who can score a lot and lead the team.

“The best players by scoring are Sara Scalia, Rilee Day, and Claire Patterson,” Coach Taylor said.

Instead of most teams that have very specific strategies to win, the girls have clear objectives when game time comes.

“The team does well when we just knock down shots and rebound,” White said.

Emily White described how the team has changed, over the time that she has been playing.

“Last year the team didn’t feel as close, but now we’re way  more of a family and everyone is nice and inclusive,” White said.

As with any team, there are hilarious moments that no one will forget.

“During a home game Emma Murphy kicked a ball at the wall during warm ups and fell face first on the floor,” White said.

After understanding the objectives of the coach, and the unique characteristics of the girls basketball team, it is clear that they are not like every other team. They have an incredible passion for the sport, and cherish the time they spend together, on and off the court.