The impact of women’s basketball continues to make history in the sports world on and off the court. From legends like Diana Taurasi and Sue Storm to Breanna Stewart and Brianna Turner, each player has found a way to make the game impactful for generations to come. Taylor Hall sees herself creating that same impact just like the legends before her. Sports has been a part of Hall’s life as she was a competitor in both basketball and swimming. After being a competitive swimmer for the majority of her life, Taylor began her basketball journey in 8th grade and soon fell in love with the game right away. “It (basketball) was something exciting and new for me,” Hall states. Taylor would see the game of basketball as a fun, family affair as both her brother and father played the sport. By the time high school came around, Hall was a star in her own right. As a four-year varsity starter for Casteel High School, Hall averaged 12 points per game, 4 rebounds per game, helped led the team to a 5A Final Four as a senior, and earned First Team All-Region, All-Academic, and All-CUSD District Honors. Taylor also competed in the Track & Field State Championship in four events: 4x400, 4x800, and 800m. 

Hall began her collegiate career at Eastern New Mexico University. During her time at ENMU, Hall experienced some setbacks as a result of tearing her ACL twice.  After her time at Eastern New Mexico, Hall enters the transfer portal and commits to Biola University. In her first year at Biola, Taylor came back early from a 6-month recovery and returned to play. After playing for two years, Hall decided to forgo her fifth year to become a personal trainer and build a brand for herself in the health and fitness world. 

As a student-athlete, Hall is no stranger to balancing both academics and athletics where she admits that it can be very difficult. However, Hall explained that balancing both books and basketball has taught her the importance of time management/scheduling and completing every task for the day. “With class, homework, practice, weights, conditioning, etc., it is crucial that I have good time management because if I don’t, I will fall behind very quickly,” Taylor states. With a Bachelors’ in Business Management arriving in the Spring of 2023, Taylor sees it being applied to basketball in many ways, particularly leadership. “I have a “lead by example” personality and want to be able to exemplify success through hard work,” Hall exclaims. “I have been able to learn how to lead others effectively through pursuing my business degree, which has carried over to the court.” 

Women’s basketball continues to grow with the evidence of the LSU-Iowa Women’s Basketball National Championship game during the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament securing 9.9 million views, which marked the largest viewership in women’s basketball history. As a hooper herself, Hall sees women’s basketball continues to make an impact both on and off the court, especially with social media playing a part in the growth. “Social media is an asset in displaying the growing talent of women’s hoopers and just to show how much the women’s game is growing,” Taylor states. “Girls are starting to develop more and more skills from a young age and people all around the world are taking notice. It is so exciting to see how women’s basketball is evolving.” Hall sees herself being involved in the basketball world through different avenues such as skills/athletic performance training and media. 

“Success is not an accident, success is actually a choice.” This particular quote brings so much truth as it is stated by the greatest shooter in the history of the NBA, Stephen Curry. Curry has been a huge supporter of women’s sports as he advocated for the return of Brittney Griner to come home in the States. As a role model for many people, Taylor cites Curry’s commitment and hard work as an inspiration to model that in her craft as well as life every day. “He (Stephen Curry) was not always the best, strongest, or highest-rated player; but he was able to push through every obstacle and prove outsiders wrong,” Hall states. “He (Stephen Curry) is someone who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal and puts in the hard work on a daily basis to do so.”

Control what you can control! That particular statement has been sentimental when it comes to decision-making, thought process, leadership, and life in general. It is also the advice that Taylor advises future athletes that aim to take their talent to the next level.  “You can’t control what others say about you, the way your teammates play, or how much playing time you get,” Hall explains. “If you focus on yourself and control the controllable, then you will be rewarded with success.” As Taylor emphasizes that your work ethic, mindset, and attitude are some of the controllable that you can control that can bring a positive solution; she also explains to not let any outside noise affect you. “At the end of the day, people are going to talk no matter what,” Hall states. “Once you are confident in your hard work, you can’t be stopped!”

Taylor’s story is one that defines what it means to come back stronger. When asked what stands out about her story, Hall answers it with strength and confidence: “My basketball journey has been accompanied by more setbacks than most. As I started playing basketball later than most, I was very behind and had to get in the gym twice as much as my teammates and competitors just to catch up to their level. I worked extremely hard to reach my goal of playing college basketball but only received one college offer from Eastern New Mexico University coming out of high school. I tore my ACL twice: once at Easter New Mexico and another time while I was in the transfer portal.  I have had to overcome several setbacks, injuries, and a lot of defeat to reach the point that I am at now in my career at Biola University.” With all the ups and downs that Taylor has experienced, she expresses that she is grateful for every setback that she had run into as she knew each of them was a setup for something greater than she can imagine. As the saying goes: tough times don’t last, tough people do. 

To learn more about Hall and her story, be sure to follow her on Instagram:_halltaylor