Lanette Taylor
Lanette Tayler '93 Women's Basketball
A Lorain, Ohio native, Lanette Taylor was a three-time all-county and all-conference basketball player at Elyria's West High school. As a senior, she averaged 18 points and 12.5 rebounds per game in garnering all-district and Honorable Mention All-Ohio honors. Taylor received four basketball letters and two in track while at West High. At Cleveland State, Taylor and her CSU Hall of Fame teammate Deb Taylor, rewrote the CSU record book.
In 1988-89, Taylor had to sit out her freshmen season due to Prop 28 requirements. As a sophomore, she had a solid season that gave the Viking's a fast a glimpse of things to come. She started 11 of 21 contests she played in. She led CSU, and was ninth in the North Star Conference with a .488 FG % (83-170). Her 14 blocks were also tops on the team. She was second on the team, fourth in the NSC, with 186 rebounds (8.9 rpg) and second with 10.5 ppg. She was third in the FTM and fourth in minutes, points, steams, and FGM. Taylor had a season-best, 19 points and 17 rebounds, versus American. She also had 19 points and 11 boards against Youngstown State. She grabbed a season-high 18 boards against Wright State. That effort was the second best in the NSC '89-90 and the fourth best in CSU history at the time. Taylor was CSU's top rebounder in 14 games and top scorer eight times.
Taylor started to come into her own as a junior. She played in all28 games with 21 starts. She became the first Viking with 300 rebounds with a then-school record 316 that also led the NSC, as did her 11.3 rpg. Her rebounding also ranked her 14th in the nation. Taylor tied a then-school mark with 130 FTM. She also led CSU with 29 blocks and a .404 FG%. Her 26 starts were second best on the team as were her 889 minutes, 126 FGM, and 382 points (13.6ppg). In all 28 games, CSU rebounding was led by Taylor. Lanette was the op rebounder in 19 of those games. Hall of Famer Deb led the Vikes in the other nine. Taylor also was CSU's top scorer seven times and had 16 "double-doubles". Against Youngstown State she grabbed a then career high of 23 rebounds, becoming just the third Viking with 20 boards in a game. A then-career high 24 points versus Akron, along with 10 rebounds, helped garner NSC Player of the Week honors in the final week of the regular rebounding and free throws made lists. Her play earned her Third Team All-NSC honors.
As a senior, Taylor had one of the finest years of anyone to take the court for CSU. Playing in 27 of CSU's game, with 26 starts, she led the Vikings in virtually every category. She broke her own school rebounding record with 352 (13.0 rpg). Her 541 points (20.0 ppg) also led CSU as she became the fourth Viking to score 500 points in as season. She also led the team with 211 FGM, a .494 FG% and 47 blocks and 235 FTA. Her 874 minutes and 118 FTM were second on the squad while her 52 steals were fourth best.
She led Viking rebounding in 23 contests coring in 17. In eight straight games, she was the top Viking scorer and rebounder. That eight game stretch was part of an incredible month, from mid-January to mid-February that saw Taylor named the NSC's Player of the Week for an unprecedented five straight weeks. During that run Taylor twice set the then-school scoring mark. She had 37 points in a win at Akron and followed exactly one week later she scored 38, with 20 rebounds, in a heartbreaking, 117-115, overtime loss to Northern Illinois. Those games were two of three straight 30-point games for Taylor. She began the steak with 32 versus Wright State. They were also part of a run that saw Taylor score 30 or more-points in four of five games. She tallied 30 against Illinois-Chicago and 20 at Valparaiso before her three straight 30-point games. Taylor also had 30 points and 17 rebounds against Wright State as CSU picked up it's first-ever first round victory in the NSC Tournament. At Illinois-Chicago, Taylor came within four of tying the school rebound record with a career-high 24 boards, second most in school history. During her five week run as the NSC' Player of the Week, Taylor also scored 17 points against UW-Green Bay becoming the ninth player in school history to score 1,000 career points. At season's end, Taylor earned Honorable Mention All-American, All-NCAA District IV, NSC Player of the Year, First Team All-NSC, and CSU Most Outstanding Player honors.
At the conclusion of her career, Taylor held the school's season rebounding record and had seven of the top 10 rebounding games to that point. Ten years later, she retains her season record and has five of the op 10 rebounding game totals in school history. She is one of four Vikings with 20 rebounds in a game and the only one with three. Her two 300+ rebound seasons aremain is the only ones in the CSU record book. One of 15 Vikings to score 1,000 points, Taylor ranks ninth all-time at CSU with 1,144. She ranks among the Vikings' best with 90 blocks (4th), 854 rebounds (5th), 420 FGM (12th), 63 games started (13th), and 139 steals (17th). Taylor is a 1992 graduate of Cleveland State with a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work.
