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Augusta senior Gabe Taylor recently signed his letter of intent to continue his academic and wheelchair basketball playing career at the University of Alabama. (Submitted)](https://maysville-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/129112862_web1_Taylor.jpg)
Augusta senior Gabe Taylor recently signed his letter of intent to continue his academic and wheelchair basketball playing career at the University of Alabama. (Submitted)
HIGH SCHOOL WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL
Augusta’s Gabe Taylor is already a miracle.
Born with spina bifida, doctors had said he’d be paralyzed from the chest down 16 weeks into his mother Tiffany’s pregnancy.
But Taylor defied the odds and was able to walk and do what he grew up loving, playing basketball. Basketball is in his blood, related to Camryn and Conner Snapp of Augusta, Blake and Cayden Reed who currently play at Bracken County. Growing up, he had no choice but to be involved in roundball.
But as time went on, his legs weren’t holding up.
“When I’d be on my feet for too long, it’s just too much pain. And then after a certain amount of time, they’ll just give out. When you’re running up and up and down in basketball that happens a lot faster,” Taylor said.
He needed to find some relief.
At 12, he was introduced to wheelchair basketball.
“Took about two years to catch on. You go from shooting standing up to being in a wheelchair. I could barely get it to the rim from two foot away. And that was playing on an eight and a half foot goal with a girls’ ball,” Taylor said.
But over time, Taylor really started to catch on. He’d join the Cincinnati Dragons wheelchair basketball team and eventually help lead them to a national championship. Taylor went from barely even getting the ball to the rim to being named MVP of the championship game and First Team All-Tournament team.
It obviously didn’t happen overnight. Not only with the game, Taylor had to perfect his craft in the wheelchair.
“Doing stuff in your chair, trying to get it to pinpoint accuracy. Just knowing how to control your chair and where you want to put it and being able to float there,” Taylor said.
His success has been noticed, recently signing a scholarship with the University of Alabama to play for their wheelchair basketball team. He’ll head to Tuscaloosa in the fall on a full-ride with a focus on computer science for his major.
The Augusta senior signed on Orange and Black night in front of friends, family, classmates and a gym filled with Panther supporters on their opening night of introducing the team to the community.
“It was exciting, but kind of sad at the same time knowing that I’m leaving everybody. Just hearing everybody cheer and scream for me when they called my name gave me chills. It’s just a lot to think about. But I’ll be working on my craft and working on my degree. Alabama’s coach was just a great dude, reminds me a lot of the coach I have now for high school. Just overall, I like the school. The wheelchair basketball facility they have is amazing,” Taylor said.
His goals won’t stop there. His ultimate goal is to make the USA Paralympic team in 2024, something he said he just missed out on in 2020. He knows what it will take to get there now.
“Chair skills. That’s the that’s the one thing that got me cut from the USA team was chair skills. They said I was one of the best pure shooters at the camp, which consisted of mostly college juniors and seniors. And I was just a junior in high school,” Taylor said.
Now he’ll get to play against a higher level of competition in college.
But first, Taylor has a national championship to go after again. He’s in the middle of his senior season with the Cincinnati Dragons and Taylor gives a lot of praise and thanks to his parents, Jerrod and Tiffany for their dedication in getting him to practice and games. A lot of travel is involved, two trips a week to Cincinnati for practice and then games on weekends at cities all over the country.
“Just them getting me out of the house to do it every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. My grandparents, coaches, my teammates and the teammates that have already graduated helping me get here. My aunt and uncle they came to 90 percent of the tournaments. It’s just all the people that were there to push me to be my best,” Taylor said.
Taylor will graduate from Augusta in the spring and will have some college courses under his belt before he arrives at Alabama. He’s excited for his new adventure and one day here in the future you may be able to address him as a future olympian.
“That’s just one of the goals everybody in a wheelchair has. Saying that I barely got cut from the USA team as a 17-year-old, I feel I’ve got a pretty high chance of making it. I’ll have a lot more practice than I did and I’ll have a college trainer and will be on top of my game by the time that comes around,” Taylor said.
Taylor said he wants to work in IT support when he finishes up his degree.