Deb Taylor
Debra Taylor 2001 Women's Basketball
Deb Taylor, who came to Cleveland State after an outstanding career at Lorain's Admiral King High School, didn't skip a beat when she got to college. The Lorain, Ohio native graduated as Admiral King's third leading scorer all-time. As a senior she averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds a game and garnered honorable mention All-American and first-team All-Ohio while being named the Erie Shore Conference's Most Valuable Player. At Cleveland State, she became one of just two players to lead the Vikings in scoring four times and one of just three to earn "Most Outstanding" four times.
As a freshman, Taylor appeared in all 28 games while starting 21 contests. She started slowly but a strong showing at the Florida International Tournament got her going. In three games she scored 20-points twice while averaging 19.7 ppg for the tournament. She averaged 11 rebounds in the tournament with a season-best 16 boards versus Georgia Southern. Her best scoring game came against Notre Dame when she tallied 26. On the year, Taylor led CSU in scoring 16 times and in rebounding in 10 games. She led the Vikes' with 387 points (13.8 ppg) as well as 160 field goals, a .406 FG% and a .762 FT%. She was second with 64 free throws and 15 blocked shots. Her 714 minutes and 180 rebounds (6.4 rpg) were third highest on the squad. She became just the second freshman in school history to lead CSU in scoring, joining CSU Hall of Famer, Sue Hlavacek. For her efforts Taylor was named CSU's Most Outstanding Player, joining Hlavacek and Diane Foster as the only freshmen to earn that honor.
Taylor started 21 of the 27 games she played in as a sophomore and improved her game in virtually every category. She led CSU in scoring with 435 points (16.1 ppg), the fifth highest total in school history at the time, and set a school season record with 130 free throws made. Taylor was also the team's leader in rebounding (225/8.3 rpg), field goals made (150), field goal percentage (.347), free throw percentage (.833), blocks (14) and steals (51). Her 838 minutes played were second most on the team. She topped the 20point plateau 11 times and led CSU in scoring 16 times including the last 10 games of the season. At DePaul she scored a career-high 34 points which was then the second most in school history. She was the squad's top rebounder in 16 contests including the last nine of the year. She hauled down 21 boards against Akron, the then-second most in CSU history. She also scored 27 points for one of nine "doubledoubles" on the year. Taylor earned All-Tournament accolades at the Duke Tournament with 23 points against the hosts and a 21 point/12 rebound effort against Penn. Her play garnered her a second-team All-North Star Conference selection, the first Viking to be named all-conference. She also picked up her second CSU Most Outstanding Player Award.
As a junior, Taylor became a first-team All-Conference performer. She started 21 games while appearing in 24. She led the Vikes in scoring for a third straight season with 423 points (17.6 ppg) and rebounding for a second consecutive year with 230 (9.6 rpg). Her rebounding placed her second in the North Star Conference. She was 19th in the nation with a .855 free throw percentage, including a 15-for-15 effort at Valparaiso. In the North Star Tournament she put up big number, scoring 30 points against DePaul and versus UWGreen Bay. Her game against DePaul helped her become the NSC's Player of the Week. By season's end she had moved to the top of CSU's career list with 300 free throws made, ranked second with 1,245 points and fifth with 635 rebounds. She also received the CSU Most Outstanding Player Award for the third time.
Taylor capped her Viking career with yet another fine season. She led CSU in scoring for the fourth straight year and became the fourth player to score 500 points in a season with 503 (18.6 ppg). Taylor was the top scorer in 16 games including 32 points at Kent State and 30 versus Valparaiso. She earned NSC Player of the Week honors with 21 points in an overtime win at Cincinnati and 28 markers at St. Francis. Her stellar play earned her a spot on the first-team All-NSC squad and her fourth CSU Most Outstanding Player Award.
By the time she had finished playing, Deb Taylor had established herself as one of the finest players in school history. Taylor finished her career as the with a school record 391 free throws made and ranked second with 1,748 points, 893 rebounds and 674 field goals made. Today, she remains the record holder for free throws made in a career and a season while ranking third in rebounds and field goals made, fourth in steals and eighth in blocks. Taylor is one of four Vikings with 20 rebounds in a game and her 21 in 1988-89 is the third most in CS U history.
Taylor graduated from Cleveland State in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in Psychology.
