X Marks the Spot for Taylor

On March 27, 2013, Toronto, ON’s Kim Taylor (6’0”, F, St Joseph’s, 2013) announced that she will be attending St Francis Xavier in Antigonish, NS to play with the X-Women later on this Fall.

“I was looking for a school with a really good academic reputation, and I felt really comfortable with the basketball coach. It just seemed like a school that was a perfect fit,” said Taylor about her reasons for choosing St FX.

“When I went on the visit, it seemed like it was a beautiful school,” she said about visiting the school back in October. “And since then, I went on visits to other schools, but nothing compared. I was always attached to St FX and didn’t want to let that go. It had the school community that I found nowhere else. They really had pride in their school. I went to the basketball game, and all of the kids went out to support the team, and that’s the environment that I wanted to be in.”

Playing out her final season of rep ball with the 9-2 Blues in the JUEL League, Taylor is a player that brings a lot of heart to the game. Going all out, diving while chasing down loose balls is just a part of the game she will be taking out East. Hunting down rebounds and bringing high energy are some of the other things F-X fans can look forward to when she hits the AUS.

“Playing at the CIS level,” said her soon to be Head Coach, Augy Jones, “there’s a certain level of intensity, passion and will to win you have to bring. The thing that attracted me most to Kim, besides her skills or anything, was how hard she worked. And I think when you look at the progression of the St Joseph’s basketball program, you see that she’s been a big part in making it one of the better programs, in Toronto.”

Ensuring a fit with her soon to be Coach Augy, was also important for Taylor.

“Augy reminded me of past Coaches I’ve had. He’s someone that really cares about your personality, your character, where your life is going to go afterwards. It’s not just about basketball. He’s someone that I felt very comfortable with, yet someone that’s going to push me to work hard and become a better basketball player.”

Off the court, Kim is a model student that excels in the Sciences. She has twice represented Canada internationally both in Denmark and Mexico. Her ability to balance high level academics and a high level of play on the court is an attribute that her high school Coach speaks of glowingly.

“Kim is an exceptional student athlete,” says her St Joseph’s Bears Head Coach, Francesco Mafitano. “She is very conscientious about her work. Her work ethic is unbelievable for her age. She’s very committed, dedicated and respectful. Her ability to balance both academics and athletics, to maintain such a high GPA, is extraordinary with the amount of time that she trains at school and in her club.”

Although Taylor had interest from NCAA schools, she concluded that she would prefer to stay in Canada to continue her schooling. After considering attending CIS’ Ottawa U and Carleton, it was something that was unique to St FX that was the ultimate draw.

With Taylor’s proficiency in the classroom, it is no wonder why she takes her studies so seriously. With her future goal of possibly pursuing a career in the Mining industry, course selection was yet another of the main reasons why Taylor decided on continuing to pursue her education at the Nova Scotian University.

“Out of all the schools in Canada, St F-X is the only school that offers Aquatic Resources and Earth Sciences, which is what I’m going into.”

As thanks, Kim wanted to give thanks for the many people that have had a hand in her development.

“There has definitely been a lot of coaches in the past that I come in contact with that have helped me. All of the Coaches that I have had with SBA [Scarborough Basketball Association]. Id’ like to shoutout Chris Smalling from Advantage and Scotty and Prince from A-Game. Also, Mr Malfitano, and Mr Towe from St Joes and the St Joes community that has really supported me. My current coaches from the Blues that have really helped me develop these last few things before I go off to University next year. And my parents. I can’t forget my parents.”