Black Athletes in the Spotlight: HBCU Sports & Local Highlights
- Chose Division II to develop fit and growth, resisting the transfer portal to mature as a player.
- In senior year she set an NCAA single-game rebound record with 43 rebounds.
- Gained professional experience playing overseas in Romania before accepting an opportunity in the UPSHOT League.
- Credits the Division II gritty mindset for overseas success; grateful to play before family as a league pioneer.
Five-foot-11 guard Lauryn Taylor is making some noise with the Savannah Steel of the UPSHOT League. While the team works to get more wins, Taylor is honing her skills to advance her opportunities in professional basketball. She played one season at Division I Florida Gulf Coast University, but the bulk of her collegiate career was at Division II Francis Marion University in Florence, South Carolina, where she earned national honors in her four years playing for the Patriots.
“I’m from South Carolina,” Taylor said. “In high school is when I really started to take off with basketball, but I ended up committing to a Division II because I thought it was really important to go somewhere where I felt like I fit and would be able to grow and make a name for myself without being a small fish in a big pond. In the era of the transfer portal, it would have been all too easy to leave and try to pursue something more, but I felt like for the four years I was there, I wasn’t necessarily ready.”
In her senior year at Francis Marion, Taylor broke an NCAA record for most rebounds in a single game with 43. After earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in sociology and gender studies, she was ready to take her game to the next level, heading to FGCU, where she earned a master’s degree in business administration. “I wanted to make it to the NCAA Tournament and have that experience,” she said. “I was All-Conference, All-Tournament, and made it to the NCAA Tournament. Now, I’m a pro.”
After playing for two different teams in Romania, Taylor received the opportunity to play with UPSHOT. “This atmosphere was something I was really interested in,” she said. “On top of it, it’s an avenue to help us to get to higher levels.”
While the education and athletic resources at Francis Marion were very good, Division II developed “that gritty mindset that you can adapt to anything,” which helped tremendously overseas. “Overseas is definitely a different beast…but it’s also something that’s very exciting,” she said. “Wherever this ball can take me, I’m willing to go.”
Playing with UPSHOT allows her to play before friends and family. “I take every day with gratitude,” Taylor said. “When I heard about this opportunity, I was a little surprised and I’ll be real, a little skeptical…but now I think it’s one of the greatest opportunities that’s out right now. I’m so glad to be a part of the pioneers who get to start this league.”
Related
Read the full article on the original site
