Fresh off of a win against Columbia on Nov. 11, senior Taylor McCarley started the season off right, immediately being named America East Player of the Week for her impeccable performace. At the game in the Big Apple, McCarley reset her career-high in points and carried her team to victory 67-56 over the Lions.
“It feels good winning it the first week,” she said. “It’s nice to know that I’m starting off the season playing well.”
Like any athlete, McCarley’s journey began long before she could even imagine receiving such an award. The start of her basketball career began over a decade ago all due to her family’s relocation.
“I started playing basketball when I was about nine years old. My family and I moved to a house that had a basketball court in the backyard, so my brother and I used to shoot around out there. Eventually, my dad signed me up for a basketball team.”
McCarley did not travel the road alone and attributes a portion of her success to her basketball mentors growing up.
“My coaches were my biggest mentors growing up. I had a trainer that everybody affectionately called ‘Uncle Willy’ and he trained us from ages nine to around fourteen. Other influential people were my first basketball coaches, Coach Stacy and Coach Phil. Both played a big part in my life,” she said.
Fast forward to McCarley’s final season in the black and gold, she has big goals for her and her team this year as she hopes to make her last season her best season.
“I definitely want to get to the NCAA tournament and win a championship with the team this year,” she said. “Personally, I would also love to make First-Team All-America East again.”
All good things must come to an end, but McCarley already has plans for life after graduation.
“I’ve put a lot of thought into my plan after college. I thought about possibly being a college referee or coaching, but I am also very interested in going to graduate school and studying child psychology.”
McCarley and the rest of the women’s basketball team will take on American University on Wednesday Nov. 30 and then tip-off against basketball powerhouse University of Maryland, College Park on Dec. 4.