Story on Whitney Taylor
Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 5:15 pm
Taylor rehabbing knee so she can be a leader Wooster grad will be a key senior returning for BGSU
BOWLING GREEN -- Every day of the Bowling Green women's basketball team's NCAA Tournament run was an exercise in patience for Whitney Taylor.
The Wooster High School single-game scoring recordholder tore the Anterior Cruciate Ligament and meniscus cartilage in her right knee Dec. 26 as her team was preparing to meet Delaware at Anderson Arena. She missed the rest of the season, had surgery Jan. 17 and went into another rehab for a knee injury.
Then, her team started making history. Bowling Green got into the top 15 nationally and won its third straight Mid-American Conference title. After getting a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament, the Falcons became the first MAC women's team to make the Sweet 16 with a 59-56 win over second-seeded Vanderbilt.
"Every day was a battle," Taylor said. "When you're a Div. I athlete, you can't just sit back and watch and be OK with it. I just did my best to be supportive and try to pep up my teammates when they needed it. I just tried to give them encouragement."
Because she's been through this before, Taylor knew it wasn't the end of her basketball days. She had the same injury in her right knee as a Wooster High School junior and got back on the floor in plenty of time to earn her scholarship to Bowling Green. This time, rehab will keep her off the floor until the summer.
That meant missing the best season in MAC women's basketball history. Bowling Green tore through the conference, losing only to Ohio on Feb. 24. The Falcons then ripped through the MAC tournament and beat Oklahoma State in the NCAA opening round before dumping Vanderbilt to make the round of 16.
During that run, Bowling Green held the nation's longest win streak and grabbed national attention for its young head coach, Curt Miller. That happened with six seniors on the roster who built the foundation for where Bowling Green is now. With that group gone, Taylor and classmate Kate Achter, the Falcons' best player, will be Bowling Green's lone seniors making a run at four straight conference titles next year.
That's the motivation Taylor carries with her to weight training, exercises and pool workouts to strengthen her knee.
"That would be amazing," Taylor said. "All we know since we've been here is winning. We're going to go out with everything we have to make that happen. We have some rebuilding to do, but we have the talent here to make that happen."
The two seniors will be there to welcome an eight-player freshman class that includes Waynedale's Kelly Zuercher. While she's excited to add a player from her home area, Taylor said she can't play favorites.
That's where the role of a leader will enter into things.
"With eight new players coming, I can't be too biased," Taylor said. "I'll be able to relate more to here because of where we're from. We'll have played against and with some of the same people. But there are eight of them and they'll all be counting on us."
Part of how much she'll be able to help usher in the new class will depend on how the rehab goes. That is in line with how it needs to be. She's able to jog in a straight line and can do enough to make the healing process swim through.
Taylor said she's on her way back to basketball, no matter what. The question does, invariably, come up.
"Once you tear two ACLs, how much further can you really go," she said. "I'll be back full strength when we get started. I'm not going to worry about the knees. I'm going to have to play a large role. I need to be on the court to help this team win. That's what drives me
BOWLING GREEN -- Every day of the Bowling Green women's basketball team's NCAA Tournament run was an exercise in patience for Whitney Taylor.
The Wooster High School single-game scoring recordholder tore the Anterior Cruciate Ligament and meniscus cartilage in her right knee Dec. 26 as her team was preparing to meet Delaware at Anderson Arena. She missed the rest of the season, had surgery Jan. 17 and went into another rehab for a knee injury.
Then, her team started making history. Bowling Green got into the top 15 nationally and won its third straight Mid-American Conference title. After getting a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament, the Falcons became the first MAC women's team to make the Sweet 16 with a 59-56 win over second-seeded Vanderbilt.
"Every day was a battle," Taylor said. "When you're a Div. I athlete, you can't just sit back and watch and be OK with it. I just did my best to be supportive and try to pep up my teammates when they needed it. I just tried to give them encouragement."
Because she's been through this before, Taylor knew it wasn't the end of her basketball days. She had the same injury in her right knee as a Wooster High School junior and got back on the floor in plenty of time to earn her scholarship to Bowling Green. This time, rehab will keep her off the floor until the summer.
That meant missing the best season in MAC women's basketball history. Bowling Green tore through the conference, losing only to Ohio on Feb. 24. The Falcons then ripped through the MAC tournament and beat Oklahoma State in the NCAA opening round before dumping Vanderbilt to make the round of 16.
During that run, Bowling Green held the nation's longest win streak and grabbed national attention for its young head coach, Curt Miller. That happened with six seniors on the roster who built the foundation for where Bowling Green is now. With that group gone, Taylor and classmate Kate Achter, the Falcons' best player, will be Bowling Green's lone seniors making a run at four straight conference titles next year.
That's the motivation Taylor carries with her to weight training, exercises and pool workouts to strengthen her knee.
"That would be amazing," Taylor said. "All we know since we've been here is winning. We're going to go out with everything we have to make that happen. We have some rebuilding to do, but we have the talent here to make that happen."
The two seniors will be there to welcome an eight-player freshman class that includes Waynedale's Kelly Zuercher. While she's excited to add a player from her home area, Taylor said she can't play favorites.
That's where the role of a leader will enter into things.
"With eight new players coming, I can't be too biased," Taylor said. "I'll be able to relate more to here because of where we're from. We'll have played against and with some of the same people. But there are eight of them and they'll all be counting on us."
Part of how much she'll be able to help usher in the new class will depend on how the rehab goes. That is in line with how it needs to be. She's able to jog in a straight line and can do enough to make the healing process swim through.
Taylor said she's on her way back to basketball, no matter what. The question does, invariably, come up.
"Once you tear two ACLs, how much further can you really go," she said. "I'll be back full strength when we get started. I'm not going to worry about the knees. I'm going to have to play a large role. I need to be on the court to help this team win. That's what drives me
