Lindsay Taylor

This article is about the women's basketball player. For the soccer player, see Lindsay Taylor (soccer).
Lindsay Taylor

Lindsay Taylor in Hollywood, California
Personal information
Born (1981-05-20) May 20, 1981
Poway, California
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight 199 lb (90 kg)
Career information
High school Chandler (Chandler, Arizona)
College UC Santa Barbara (1999–2004)
WNBA draft 2004 / Round: 2 / Pick: 26th overall
Selected by the Houston Comets
Playing career 2004–2008
Position Center
Number 13, 44, 33, 20, 81
Career history
2004 Houston Comets
2004–2005 Phoenix Mercury
2005–2006 Botasspor Adana
2006 Seattle Storm
2006 Shinsegae Cool Cats
2006–2007 Lattes-Maurin Montpellier
2007 Botasspor Adana
2007–2008 Energa Katarzynki Toruń
2008 Washington Mystics
2008–2009 KSSSE AZS PWSZ Gorzów Wielkopolski
2009–2010 Nantes-Rezé
2010–2011 Yunnan Qujing
2011 Nantes-Rezé
2012 Seattle Storm
2015 1º de Agosto
Career highlights and awards
  • Big West Player of the Year (2001)
  • 3× Big West Tournament MVP (2001–2004)
  • Big West Freshman of the Year (2001)
Medals
Women's Basketball
Representing  United States
Pan American Games
2003 Dominican Republic Team

Lindsay Corine Taylor (born May 20, 1981) is an American professional basketball player and a former college player who has played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), Turkish Women's Basketball League, Ligue Féminine de Basketball (LFB), the WKBL, Polish Women's League, and the Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA). Currently she plays in Angola's women basketball league, for Primeiro de Agosto.

In the WNBA Taylor has played for four teams: the Houston Comets, Phoenix Mercury, Seattle Storm (twice) [1][2] and the Washington Mystics. The last two of her terms in the WNBA were brief, with the second lasting only a week. In contrast to her short tenures in the WNBA, Taylor has enjoyed far greater success in Europe and Asia, especially in the Polish Women's League, where she is known by her sobriquet Lindska and has achieved a level of recognition comparable to that of Lisa Leslie in the WNBA,[3] and the Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA).[4] Taylor finished her first season in the Polish Women's League with the highest number of points scored, and her overall evaluation was the highest in the league. She was also awarded Center of the Year and earned a place on the 1st Team, All-Imports Team and the All-Defensive Team.[3]

Standing 6 ft and 8 in (2.03 m) tall, Taylor is one of the tallest female athletes in the world. She was the tallest player in the history of UC Santa Barbara women's basketball program, and she is tied for the second tallest player to ever to play in the WNBA. Taylor had quipped that because of her larger stature then other players she has what she describes "a bird's eye view of everything" on the court. Literally she can see over other players.[5]

Taylor has received mixed criticism and praise. She has received criticism and potential doubts raised over her ability to be an effective center; the Washington Post criticised her and commented that she "cannot control her size" and that she often ends up "blocking her own players" in practice.[6] In its Analysis of the prospected centers in the 2004 WNBA Draft, the Seattle Storm criticized Taylor scathing: "As long as Taylor could tie her shoes and walk without tripping on her own feet, she'd be a WNBA prospect." It also felt, she had not been an effective dominating force at UC Santa Barbara despite her great height and facing what it considered relatively weak Big West competition.[7] Supporters however point out her fluid coordination, speed and versatile mobility as being above excellent for someone of her stature and build. Others have pointed out and praised her unlimited potential on the court, natural talent, fast learning and her passing of the ball to other team players, something almost rare for other players of her height, as contributions of her effectiveness as a player.

Early life

Lindsay Corine Taylor was born on May 20, 1981 in Poway, California, the daughter of Catherine and Bill Taylor. Her family later moved to Phoenix, Arizona.[3] Taylor comes from a family of above-average height and claims she inherited her great height from her father who is 6 ft 11in (2.11 m). Her uncle, Ron, stands 7 ft 0in (2.13 m) and is nicknamed "Tiny".

Taylor was not involved in sports until she was fifteen. She had originally planned on playing in her school's marching band, but her closest friends, who played basketball, convinced her to start playing the game. She said she picked it up naturally."[8] Lindsay has said that if it were not for basketball, her desires may have led her to a different career.[9] In the first game she played in high school, she accidentally scored for the opposite team.[3]

Taylor claims that there isn't a lot of advantages to being so tall, "only than you can use the top shelf in your cupboard without any problems." and she feels the biggest advantages are in sports where her prestigious height has afforded her advantages. She stated, “I feel I have a presence on the court. I hope I intimidate other people”. Another advantage Taylor possesses, as she has expressed, is because of her larger stature then other players she has what she describes "a bird's eye view of everything" on the court. Literally she can see over other players.[5] Taylor's height has also made it difficult for other players to guard and block her and are generally unable to overpower her.

She finds shopping and the facilities of countries like Poland, such as toilets and baths, bothersome because they are not adequately suited for her height but does not experience the same problem in the US.[10] She objects to being labeled lanky, but prefers to being called ‘slender’ instead.[11]

High school and college

Taylor attended Chandler High School in Chandler, Arizona, where she helped lead her team to two regional championships, and as a senior, she helped lead them to the Arizona State Championship. She averaged 19.2 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.1 blocks in her final year as a prepster. During a game in her junior year, she scored a career-best 31 points and grabbed 21 rebounds. She played for the AAU Arizona Elite, where she guided the team to the 17-Gold National Championship in 1998 at the age of 17.[12]

Taylor later became famous during her NCAA career at UC Santa Barbara, playing center for their women's team. She was (and still is) the tallest women's basketball player in the school's history, and she attended the same classes as fellow WNBA players Kayte Christensen and Kristen Mann.

Taylor redshirted (delayed) her first year, (1999–2000). In 2000–2001, Taylor capped an impressive rookie season by earning the Big West Freshman of the Year award, second team all-conference and All-Big West Tournament honors. She was twice named Big West's Player of the Week: January 15 and January 29. Taylor scored 20 or more points three times, with her career high of 24 coming against Boise State on January 21, 2001. Her field goal percentage in Big West Play of 65.0% was the highest percentage in the conference, and she later had 17 double-digit performances, including nine of her last 11 games and 13 of her final 16. It was during her second season at Santa Barbara that Taylor grew her final inch, something she was unaware of until she was measured later on, reaching her full and trademark height of 6 ft 8 inches. She was also selected as Big West Freshman of the Year.

In 2001–2002, she earned her second Big West All Conference Honors. She missed two games – vs. Northridge (Jan. 6,2002) and Fullerton (Feb. 6,2002) because of soreness in her lower back. Her third season(2002–2003) was capped by an honorable mention Associated Press All-American recognition, Big West Player of the Year honors and her second consecutive conference tournament MVP award. She also delivered 28 consecutive free-throws during her 2002–2003 campaign.

During Taylor's senior year (2003–2004), her UCSB Gaucho squad received their 8th consecutive Big West Conference Title with a 27–7 record and won the Big West Tournament, in which Taylor won her third consecutive MVP award. The Gauchos upset Colorado and Houston to get to the NCAA Sweet 16 until losing to defending champion Connecticut, which had fellow WNBA teammate Diana Taurasi. She notched her 1,000th point as a Gaucho at Illinois on February 13, 2003, and moved her score into 13th place on UCSB's career scoring list. She only needs 500 points to break the school's highest-ever career scoring record, held by Kristi Rohr.[12]

On November 20, 2003 Lindsay scored a team-high of 12 points. Taylor was the only Gaucho player to be in double-figures and the only visiting player to make half her field goal tries, sinking four out of eight.

On November 25, 2003 Lindsay scored a game-high of 23 points and became UCSB's record holder in career blocked shots and the school's all-time leader in career blocked shots with 181 points.[13] On November 28 she scored a game-high 20 points as the Gauchos won a match to 4 to 1. Lindsey scored seven of her 20 points during the 19–4 second half run and extended the then nation's second longest home winning streak to 27 straight games.[14] Later on December 16 she led all Gaucho players with a game high 23 points, grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds and also matching her personal best of six blocked shots. On December 28 Lindsay finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds for her third consecutive double-double and 19th of her collegiate career.

Taylor has said one of her biggest developments in college was to build her strength up. Despite pulling down 7.3 rebounds per game, she counted rebounding as a weakness of hers and would continue to work hard on it to improve.[15]

Lindsay graduated from Santa Barbara in 2004. Her collegiate career held many distinctions at the time, such as the all-time leader in points: 1,755, most blocked shots: 242, and field goal percentages: 558, in UC Santa Barbara history.

UCSB statistics

Source[16]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
Year Team GP Points FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2000-01 UCSB 31 329 55.6 0.0 75.8 6.0 0.5 0.5 1.6 10.6
2001-02 UCSB 29 371 55.0 50.0 78.5 7.0 0.6 1.0 2.4 12.8
2002-03 UCSB 32 521 56.8 70.0 73.1 7.5 0.8 0.6 1.8 16.3
2003-04 UCSB 34 546 55.8 26.3 71.2 7.3 1.3 0.6 2.0 16.1
Career UCSB 126 1767 55.9 40.5 74.5 7.0 0.8 0.7 1.9 14.0

WNBA career

Kayte Christensen, Lindsay's friend and fellow Santa Barbara and Mercury player.

Taylor was one of the highly regarded rookies for the 2004 WNBA Draft. At age 22 she was originally chosen by the Houston Comets. She was subsequently traded to Phoenix Mercury alongside the higher-regarded Diana Taurasi. She was the second round (26th pick overall) in the 2004 WNBA Draft.

Her first game was against the Seattle Storm, on May 8, 2004.[17] Prior to the game, Lindsay was told "there was a chance" she'd see some action. She got a rousing ovation when she came off the bench for a few minutes in the first half. Her family also attended the game, and were right there to watch her get her first taste of pro competition. She attempted one field goal, which she missed. On May 10, the Mercury played against the Sacramento Monarchs. She attempted rebounds against Chantelle Anderson and Maren Walseth. Taylor was injured later on in the match. Despite the injury she would recover enough to play against the Sacramento Monarchs on June 27 when she performed a career-high in what is considered her best game in the WNBA. 18 minutes in to the game she grabbed two rebounds and scored three points on a 3-point basket late in the game and blocked four shots in 17 minutes. The game ended 83–44, a Phoenix victory.

Taylor remained on the injured list for the rest of the season, but was expected to return later in her inaugural WNBA season. In total, she would appear in just five games and missing over twenty other matches during the 2004 season, seeing limited action in those games before being waived at the end of 2005 training camp.

Career highs

Year Team Games Mins Offensive Rebounds
2004
Phoenix Mercury
5
26
None
Defensive Rebounds Total Rebounds Assists Blocks Steals
2 (06/27/2004)
2 (06/27/2004)
2 (06/27/2004)
1 (06/27/2004)
1 (06/27/2004)

Team Botas

Taylor spent the 2005/2006 offseason in Turkey, where she averaged 16.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game for her new team, the Botasspor Adana (or Botas as it's known for short).[18]

On February 8, 2006 Lindsay and her team won an important game against their opponent's, the Burhaniye, at home. At the beginning of the game Botas fell way behind and were at half time numbered 25 to Burhaniye's 40. Lindsay did not score in the first half, but scored she later scored 15 points in the second half. She ended up with 16 rebounds altogeather.

On February 18 Lindsay and her team lost to Ceyhan with the scores 90–70. However, later on March 12, Lindsay's team beat their rival, Mersin, 81–71 in their home town. Lindsay had a solid double during the game with 22 points and 12 rebounds.

April 1, Lindsay had 20 points and 12 rebounds as Botas won 83–59 over their opponent, the Erdemir Spor.

Short return to WNBA

On April 13, 2006, the Seattle Storm signed Taylor to a training camp contract. Noticeably her body had filled out and matured more, gaining several more pounds to her previous lean frame and she became far more physical on the court. Upon joining her new team she immediately became the team's tallest player, adding an extra three inches over then tallest team mate Lauren Jackson. Taylor also holds the distinction of being the only player on the Seattle Storm team as tall as then head coach during Anne Donovan, who is herself 6-foot 8 inches, a fact acknowledged by Donovan when the two allegedly stood eye-to-eye and she remarked about Lindsay "She is legit",[19] Much was anticipated of Taylor and the powress she could bring to the team. Donovan had favourably compared Lindsay to another extremely tall WNBA player: Kara Wolters, whom Donovan had personally tutored. Donovan praised Taylor’s skills and declared of her:

“ What I saw there was some potential. ”

[19]

Lindsay spoke enthusiastically about joining her new team and what it could mean for her and improving her abilities. She expressed admiration for Lauren Jackson and said she could learn from her. Lindsay also looked forward to the training she could expect to receive from Donovan. Lindsay spoke of her;

“ I hope she would really understand where I'm coming from and I can learn a lot from her. ”

Despite Donovan's praise however on May 17, 2006 Taylor was quietly released by the Seattle Storm, just a little over a month after she signed with the team making her tenure one of the shortest in WNBA history. Many fans expressed disappointment over the decision. According to a WNBA article on their website she had been slowed down by tendinitis in her right ankle and toes. In all, she only played in only two preseason games, one on May 7 and the other May 12, just five days before her release, averaging 7.0 points and 3.5 rebounds on a 3-point basket late in the game. She missed an exhibition finale against the Minnesota Lynx and spent several other games on the injured list because her tendinitis in her foot.[20]

Career highs

Year Team Games Mins Offensive Rebounds
2006
Seattle Storm
2
13
3 (05/12/2006)
Defensive Rebounds Total Rebounds Assists Blocks Steals
2 (05/07/2006)
4 (05/12/2006)
None
1 (05/12/2006)
None

After the WNBA

On May 31, 2006 shortly after her WNBA departure, Lindsay travelled to Korea for two months where she played in the Korean women's league. She played for the Shinsegae Cool Cats.

On July 5, Lindsay scraped her team firmly out of last place in the league and in to a position to make the post season play-offs. Later on July 7, Lindsay and her team won their second to last game. If they were to win the last game or either one of the two teams ahead of them lose there will be a tie in for fourth place with the playoffs at stake. But on July 9 Lindsay and the team were defeated. Lindsay cited the point differential of 20 points was too great to make up. As a result, they did not make the playoffs. Afterwards Lindsay headed home for the US.[21]

On September 17, 2006 Taylor had successful heel surgery performed on both her heels. She will then recuperate and will fly off to Montpellier, France. She then played for Lattes-Maurin Montpellier. Lindsay already knew one of the players from her time in Korea, Sandra Dijon.[3]

Botasspor Adana

On January 25, 2007, Lindsay rejoined her previous team, Botasspor Adana, and resumed playing in Turkey. They beat team Galatasaray in the team's own gym in Istanbul the following month. What made this win memorable was the team line-up. Amongst them were four WNBA players: Loree Moore, Nikki Teasley, Tangela Smith and Chantelle Anderson. Lindsay had only two points in 21 minutes, but she had nine rebounds in all.

In March, Lindsay and her team beat opponent Kristen Mann's team, Mersin, in the port town of Mersin, Turkey, with a score of 82–66. Lindsay had 10 points and 7 rebounds in 20 minutes. On March 18, 2007, Lindsey and Botas faced off and beat team As Akyazi 123 points to 83. Lindsay had scored 22 points in 20 minutes.

Botas faced team Besiktas Cola on April 25, 2007, in the semi finals of the Turkish WBL Championships. On the opposing team was Kara Braxton, another tall player (just an inch shorter than Lindsey), and a fellow WNBA player. Lindsey and Botas defeated Besiktas 72 points to 70 in the 3rd round. After this game, the score in the series was tied 2–2 in the semi-finals of the Turkish WBL series. The game to decide the finals was held on April 27. The game was tied at half time with Lindsey showing a strong first half, but in the fourth quarter the game shifted dramatically against the Botas, and Besiktas defeated Lindsey and the Botas to reach the finals. The score was 89 for Besiktas, with Botas totaling only 64. Lindsay scored 14 points in the game and totaled 6 rebounds.[3][22]

In total, Lindsay averaged 16.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game for Botas. With all the Gaucho women defeated, the team left Turkey. Lindsay traveled back home to the United States to recuperate and prepared for the next European season.

Polish Women's League

Lindsay spent the passing time recovering and resting until on September 7, 2007, Lindsay signed a contract with the Polish Women's League. She was number 20 on the team, the same as her previous team Botasspor Adana. She was by far the tallest member of the team and stood five inches taller than the nearest member Meredith Alexis who is 6 ft 3. The average Height of the team was 181 cm, 6 ft tall. During her stay in Poland, she shared an apartment with her teammate and friend Meredith Alexis. Her team was called 'Energa Katarzynki Toruń' or 'Energa Toruń' for short.[3] Her new team then went on to win a tournament in Toruń, Poland. In four games Lindsay averaged 8 points per game.

In her first game playing with Energa Toruń, Lindsay faced off against Utex Row Rybnik. The game took place on October 17, 2007. Lindsay was only able to make 2 points in the game but was only on the court for 6 minutes and 41 seconds. She made no rebounds or blocked shots. Energa Toruń lost the match to Utex Row Rybnik, making only 77 points. Utex Row Rybnik scored 84 points.[23]

Later on October 24, 2007 Lindsay and her team played off against the Polish team Can-Pack Wisla. In the game Lindsay scored 13 points and made 8 rebounds as well as making 2 blocked shots. Despite the effort Lindsay put in to the game Energa Toruń ultimately lost the game.

On October 31, Energa Toruń faced PKM Duda. In the game Lindsay scored less points then in the previous game, scoring only 12 points, but she made a far stronger showing on the defensive and made more rebounds in the game making a total of 11 rebounds in all. She also made 1 blocked shot. Despite her efforts Lindsay was unable to prevent the opposition's strong offense and Duda went on to win the game with a total of 67 points to Energa Toruń's points of only 54. Lindsay suggested her team lost due to a lack of being physical enough. She also credited the team as "out playing" them.

Lindsay's losing streak would unfortunately continue to plague her and the team in their next game on November 3 against KSSSE AZS PWSZ. Energa Toruń lost the match with 62 points to 73. Lindsay failed to score double numbers. She scored 8 points and made only 7 rebounds. In contrast to her highest score of 11 points this season in the previous game, Lindsay made no blocks in this game.

Energa Toruń next faced Lotos PKO BP on November 10, 2007. The match was hung close throughout the first three quarters with both teams going back and forth throughout the game. But by the fourth quarter Lotos PKO BP had turned the tables and was able score 28 points. Energa Toruń's was only able to score 9 points. Lindsay scored 10 points in the game and made 5 rebounds as well as making 2 blocked shots. Lotos PKO BP went on to win the game scoring 94 points while Energa Toruń was only able to score 68.

Next, Lindsay and Energa Toruń faced off against Siemens AGD on November 18, 2007. Lindsay scored 7 points in the game and made 6 rebounds as well as making 4 blocked shots. Despite the effort of the team, Energa Toruń narrowly lost the game with 74 points to Lotos' score of 77.

Energa Toruń next faced off against faced Siemens AGD on November 22, 2007. Lindsay stepped up her game and scored 16 points and made 9 rebounds. This was made all the more impressive in comparison with the other players as she only played for a total of only 20 minutes in the game.[3] However, Lindsay was not as defensive as previous games and only made 2 blocked shots. Energa went on to win the match with Energa's 85 points to Siemens AGD's score of 64. Unfortunately it wasn't a league game, it was a Cup qualifier.[3]

Lindsay's scoring continued in dominating fashion. Lindsay and Energa Toruń next faced off against CCC Polkowice. The game took place on November 25, 2007. Lindsay scored 23 points in the game and was the largest contributor to the team's victory. She scored more points in the game then either player on both teams and scored 7 points higher than her previous season high 16 points one game before. However, Lindsay was not as defensive and only made 2 blocked shots. She also made 8 rebounds. Energa Toruń went on to win the game scoring 68 points while Energa Toruń only narrowly lost with 65 points. Lindsay's contribution was the major factor in helping Energa Toruń win the game.[3] The much needed win had effectively broken Energa Toruń's losing streak and enabled them to win their first league game.

Further, on December 2, 2007, Lindsay and Energa Toruń faced off against Cukierki Odra Brzeg. Lindsay had another great game and was dominating throughout, she scored an enormous 28 points. She also made 11 rebounds.[3] She scored more points in the game then either player on both teams and scored 6 points higher than her previous season high 23 points one game before. Again, Lindsay was not as defensive and made no blocked shots in this game. Energa Toruń eventually emerged the winner's, scoring 78 points. Cukierki Odra Brzeg was only able to score 63 points. As in the previous game, Lindsay was the foremost contributor in the game and played a major factor in securing Energa Toruń the victory.[3] have eagerly pointed out that Taylor's presence on the team is what is allowing Energa Toruń to win.[3]

Later she and Energa Toruń next faced off against Arcus SMS Pzkosz and again she continued in dominating fashion. The game took place on December 8, 2007. Aagin Lindsay scored more points in the game than either player on both teams.[24] This time she scored an enormous thirty three points, even higher than her previous season high of twenty eight points just one game before.[24] The second highest score of the game was made by fellow Energa Toruń team mate Anna Marczewska who was the only other player beside Lindsay to make a double score, but made only eleven points, which Lindsay's easily exceeded by almost triple. Lindsay also made 13 rebounds, one steal and one pass. Defensively she made no blocks in this game. Lindsay's evaluation at the end of the game (combing the points, passes, blocks and other plays the player made during the game) was easily the highest in the game and was double that of the second highest score of 16, at 43 points.[25] She was fouled 10 times by the opposite team.[3] Lindsay's dominating performance on the court and large contribution of points had all but enabled Energa Toruń to win the game.[24] They won with a score of 80 points, securing their fourth victory. Arcus SMS Pzkosz was only able to score 45 points.[3][24]

For her performance against Arcus SMS Lindsay received the title of the Most Valuable Player of round 11 of the Ford Germaz Class of the Polish Women's League. With this performance, Lindsay now ranks second in the league in round 11, averaging 19.4 per game.[3]

Lindsay and Energa Toruń next faced off against KK AZS Jelenia Gora on December 16, 2007. Coming off the heels of her victory against Arcus SMS game and her recognised contribution's toward's several of Energa Toruń's victories, Lindsay was struck down with bad luck. Early in the game Lindsay was expected to pull off another career high.[3] Only seven minutes after Lindsay was in the game she was caught elbowing a player in the face. The referee had then decided called a foul on Lindsay. She was sent off the court after playing for only seven minutes and 51 seconds.[3] Because she was only on the court for such a short period of time she was only able to make just 2 points and 2 rebounds and no blocks.[3] After the game, Lindsay expressed disappointment that the referee had decided to foul her but commented that ultimately it was their decision to call and what ever they called she would agree with it.[26] Energa Toruń eventually lost the match to KK AZS Jelenia. Energa Toruń maaged to secure 51 points. However, KK AZS Jelenia Gora was able to score 55 points which embled them to narrowly win the game.

She had her next chance in the game against MUKS Poznań which took place on December 21, 2007. In the game Lindsay scored 29 points, putting her way ahead of all the players. Again she scored more points in the game then either player on both teams. The second highest score of the game was made by Energa Toruń team mate Emilia Tłumak who only scored 15. Lindsay made 10 rebounds and defensively she made 4 blocks, hitting two for two from the three point arc, in this game.[3] Despite the effort Lindsay put in to the game Energa Toruń eventually lost the match to MUKS Poznań. Energa Toruń managed to secure 66 points. However, MUKS Poznań was able to score 78 points which embled them to win the game.[3] Because of her performance in the game she was placed back in the top 3 women in evaluation points in the League.[3]

The second half of the Polish season resumed in early January, 2008. Energa Toruń next faced off against Utex Row Rybnik. The date of the game landed on January 6, 2008. Lindsay made 15 points in the game, 7 rebounds and no blocks. Energa Toruń lost the match with only 54 points. Utex Row Rybnik had 60.[3]

She next appeared in the second game of 2008, taking place on January 20. Energa Toruń played off against the Polish team TS Wisła Can Pack Kraków, the second highest ranked team in the Polish league at the date of the game. Energa Toruń also played off against Kraków in their own gym. Playing on Kraków was notable former WNBA player Anna DeForge, whom Lindsay had played against before. She was only able to make 14 points in the game during 34 minutes of play but she was able to make 20 rebounds. Defensively she had 2 blocks and made 2 passes. Energa Toruń eventually won the match in a surprise upset over TS Wisła Can Pack Kraków with 73 ponts. Kraków made 68 points. Lindsay's evaluation at the end of the game was 28 points, higher than all her team mates and any other player in the game, placing her back up as second in the league for game evaluation category. Fellow Enega Toruń player Alicja Perlińska, who had the second highest, had 21 points.[3] Lindsay is now in the league's Top Five in rebounds.

Lindsay and Energa Toruń next faced off against INEA AZS Poznoń on January 30, 2008 with Energa Toruń losing the match 69 to 75 points. Lindsay was able to score 20 points and make 11 rebounds and 1 block.[3] Energa Toruń would lose again on February 10 to PKM Duda PWSZ Leszno, 67 points to 73 points, before finally securing a narrow win against KSSSE AZS PWSZ Gorzów, 66 points to 64.[3]

Lindsay and Energa Toruń faced a rematch against Lotos PKO BP, As in the previous game Energa Toruń lost 65 points to 91.[3]

The season ended in early April,2008. Lindsay finished with the highets points of any player in the league with 16.9. and her overall evaluation was the highest in the league at 21.9 points, the second highest was 18.4. She was also awarded the Center of the Year award as well as earning a place on the 1st Team, All-Imports Team and the All-Defensive Team.[3]

Return to the WNBA

During her time in the polish women's league, Lindsay expressed her desire to return and compete in the WNBA, and on April 17, 2008 she sighed a training camp contract with the Washington Mystics of the WNBA in time for the new WNBA season.[27] She began attending training camp for the Washington Mystics soon afterwards on April 20 at Trinity University in Washington D.C.. She resumed her previous WNBA number: 44.

During her Training camp trials, Lindsay competed in three pre-season games. The first game played in Tampa, Florida against the Sacramento Monarchs, ended in a victory for the Washington Mystics with a score of 90 points to 82. The second game was another Washington victory played in New York against New York Liberty ending 58 points to 52.[3] She enjoyed further victory against the Houston Comets with a 72 to 66 point victory.

Early on in the pre-season, Taylor was praised by the training camp Coach:

“ Lindsay was a lot more aggressive today in the paint, she blocks some shots and I was very impressed with her today. She showed some range. She hit a three and I didn’t even know she had that kind of range. ”

On May 14, the Mystics officially announced that Lindsay had successfully secured a place on the Washington Mystics roster and she would be spending the upcoming summer playing on the team. Taylor's selection on the team was considered unusual for a team noted for its average-sized post players and fast-paced style of play and gave the mystics a completely different look.[6][28] She did not compete in the Mystics Season opener against the Indiana Fever. Her absence was noted in the game as it was the only loss suffered by the Mystics.[3]

On May 21 the Mystics manager Linda Hargrove announced the team would waiver Lindsay in exchange for the higher regarded Crystal Smith (basketball)|Crystal Smith, despite smith still recovereing from a foot injury at the time.[29] The waiver came exactly a week after she was selected to play on the team's roster. Her release coincidered with her fellow UC Santa Barbara graduate and friend Kayte Christensen release from the Chicago Sky. On May 28, 2008 Lindsay and her Dad, Bill were special guests of the Mystics for the Washington Mystics vs Phoenix Mercury game in Phoenix, Arizona.

Polish Women's League return

Lindsay Taylor in Rocky Point, Mexico May, 2009

Following the debacle of the WNBA, Lindsay did not speak out on what she planned to do. In early August 2008 she announced she had signed a contract with KSSSE AZS PWSZ Gorzów Wielkopolski (AZS Gorzow for short) in the Polish Women's Basketball League (PLKK).

September, 2008 saw the start of the women's polish league season beginning with Gorzow pulling off a victory against last season's second best team, Lotos PKO. Lindsay had her best game of the season on October 11 against Utex Row Rybnik with 22 points, 14 rebounds and a game high evaluation of 27 points. She was named Player Of Week #7 for her performance during this game.

Gorzów had gone undefeated for eleven games until narrowly losing to CCC Polkowice. In the last game of 2008, Lindsay would play against her former team polish team Energa Toruń resulting in a narrowly lost game. They also went undefeated in the Euro Cup until playing Dynamo Moscow, suffering a 64–93 defeat. The second half of the season resumed again in January, 2009. After winning CCC in a best of five series, Gorzów advanced to the Championship finals but narrowly lost against Lotos PKO BP and emerged as the runners-up.

Return to the LFB

From 2009 to 2010 Taylor played for the Ligue Féminine de BasketBall (LFB). This is her second time playing in the LFB. Her team is the Nantes Rezé. The 09–10 season started on September 26 with Nantes Rezé winning the Aix-en-Prov 90 points to 70. Lindsay finished as the games high scorer with 23 points.[3] Taylor went on to play in a further seventeen games but did not the Championship, instead she competed and won the French Challenge (more or less the tournament for the teams that did not make the French Championship). This was particularly impressive considering this team finished last during the previous season. She achieved the highest points per game that season: 16.1.

International career

Lindsay has played basketball abroad representing the USA in numerous countries. She won a Silver Medal as a member of the United States 2003 Pan American Games basketball team with fellow Guacho, Kristen Mann when they played off in the Dominican Republic against the home team. She was considered the best player in the game and her finest effort in the tournament was six-point, four-rebound performance in quarterfinal victory over their hosts the Dominicans.[30]

Seasons Team Country
2005–2006 Turkish Women's Basketball League, Botasspor Adana
(1st time)		 Turkey
2006 Women's Korean Basketball League, Shinsegae Cool Cats South Korea
2006–2007 Ligue Féminine de Basketball, Lattes-Maurin Montpellier France
2007 Turkish Women's Basketball League, Botasspor Adana
(2nd time)		 Turkey
2007–2008 Polish Women's League, Energa Katarzynki Toruń Poland
2008–2009 Polish Women's League, KSSSE AZS PWSZ Gorzów Wielkopolski Poland
2009–2010 Ligue Féminine de Basketball, Nantes Rezé (1st time) France
2010–2011 Women's Chinese Basketball Association, Qujing Great Wall (1st time) China
2011 Ligue Féminine de Basketball, Nantes-Rezé (2nd time) France
2011–2012 Women's Chinese Basketball Association, Qujing Great Wall (2nd time) China
2015–present Angolan Women's Basketball League, Primeiro de Agosto Angola

Honors and awards

Lindsay had received numerous awards over the years and has even set several records. Below are some of the awards she has won.

College honors

College records

College notes

High school notes

Other

Criticism, praise and legacy

Taylor is renowned for her 6 ft and 8 in (2.03 m) height, making her one of the tallest female athletes in the world. She is the tallest player in the history of UC Santa Barbara women's basketball, and she is one of a group of women tied for second tallest player in WNBA history: Katja Bavendam, Liz Cambage, Katie Feenstra, Brittney Griner, Zheng Haixia, and Maria Stepanova, are all 6 ft and 8 in (2.03 m), plus the fourth overall tallest player in basketball history. The only player surpassing Taylor was the late Margo Dydek, at 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m).

Taylor has been the subject of both criticism and praise. She has received criticism and potential doubts raised over her abilities as an effective center and there have been concerns that Taylor's height is a hindrance (running the court, mobility), and in fact she is simply too tall to be an effective player, and with being at a taller height has made her more prone to injuries. Also some believe that Taylor's body is not in shape to match her stature and should fill out, mature and work on it.[31] The Washington Post criticised her and commented that she "cannot control her size" and that she often ends up "blocking her own players" in practice.[6] In its Analysis of the prospected centers in the 2004 WNBA Draft, the Seattle Storm criticized Taylor scathing ‘As long as Taylor could tie her shoes and walk without tripping on her own feet, she'd be a WNBA prospect.’ It had also felt, she had not been an effective dominating force at UC Santa Barbara despite her great height and facing what it considered relatively weak Big West competition.[7]

Her supporters have defended Taylor by pointing out her speed, fluid coordination and versatile mobility as being above excellent for someone of her stature and build. Others have pointed out her unlimited potential on the court, natural talent, fast learning and her passing of the ball to other team players, something almost rare for other players of her height, as contributions of her effectiveness as a player. These have all have been a source of praise for Taylor.

“ She has unlimited potential on the court and she is also one of the fastest learners. ”

Coach Mark French.[32]

“ Most girls her size do not have the ability to make the game look as easy as she does. ”

[32]

Personal

She has an older sister, Roz, and a younger brother who unlike Lindsay, are just a little above average in height.[3] Her grandmother, Helen Taylor (died September 2006), regularly wrote articles on the internet about Lindsay during her time playing for the UCSB Gauchos.

Taylor is interested in potentially teaching school after her basketball career is over and she has also expressed an interest in government and politics. She also majored in religious studies.[11] Off the court, Taylor is known for her unassuming ways and sense of humor.

See also

References

  1. ^ Used by Polish fans
  1. ↑ "Lindsay Taylor back for another shot at making Storm roster". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  2. ↑ "Storm". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 "車の足～雪道対策～". lindsaytaylorbasketball.com. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  4. ↑ asia-basket.com
  5. 1 2 findarticles
  6. 1 2 3 "Blogs & Columns, Blog Directory - The Washington Post". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  7. 1 2 www.wnba.com/storm/news
  8. ↑ www.findarticles.com
  9. ↑ www.lindsaytaylorbasketball
  10. ↑ Findarticles.com
  11. 1 2 "The Seattle Times: Sports: Storm Bio: Lindsay Taylor". nwsource.com. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  12. 1 2 Player Bio: Lindsay Taylor :: Women's Basketball
  13. ↑ UC Santa Barbara Official Athletic Site
  14. ↑ UC Santa Barbara Official Athletic Site
  15. ↑ Time of Her Life: LINDSAY TAYLOR | Women's Basketball |Find Articles at BNET.com<
  16. ↑ "NCAA® Career Statistics". web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
  17. ↑ "MERCURY: Phoenix Proves There's No "I" in Mercury". wnba.com. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  18. ↑ "Botasspor Adana basketball, News, Roster, Rumors, Stats, Awards, Transactions, Details - eurobasket.com". www.eurobasket.com. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  19. 1 2 "STORM: Taylor’s Big Opportunity". wnba.com. Retrieved 1 July 2015. C1 control character in |title= at position 14 (help)
  20. ↑ WNBA.com: Lindsay Taylor Bio
  21. ↑ lindsaytaylorbasketball.com
  22. ↑ "404 - File or directory not found.". eurobasket.com. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  23. ↑ "Sport w Wałbrzychu i nie tylko". plkk.pl. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  24. 1 2 3 4 "Sport w Wałbrzychu i nie tylko". plkk.pl. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  25. ↑ "Sport w Wałbrzychu i nie tylko". plkk.pl. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  26. ↑ http://media.plk.pl/plkk/multimedia/2007-12-16/2/taylor.mp3
  27. ↑ "WNBA.com: 2008 WNBA Transactions". wnba.com. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  28. ↑ "Meet the Mystics". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  29. ↑ "MYSTICS: MYSTICS ACQUIRE CRYSTAL SMITH". wnba.com. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  30. ↑ "Fourteenth Pan American Games -- 2003". USA Basketball. February 20, 2014. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  31. ↑ wnba.com
  32. 1 2 lindsaytaylorbasketball.com
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