Taylor's Fight Through Adversity Brings Toughness to Jacks

"I was left with a choice"
 
That's Northland College Men's Basketball senior Donovan Taylor's thoughts when asked about the double hip surgery he underwent prior to the 2020-2021 season.
 
"I could choose to either quit," continued Taylor. "Or I could choose to work as hard as I could to get healthy and take each day as another step towards getting back on the floor."
 
Taylor seems to have made the right choice. LumberJack Basketball Head Coach Scott Sorenson agrees.
 
"Donovan has been through a lot in his 4-year career," said Sorenson. "He's one of those guys that you count him out at your own risk. Every time you think he's at a point that an average person would just give up, Donovan just fights right back. There's something pretty valuable about having a guy on your team who can show others that no matter what happens to you, you can overcome it if you set your mind to it."
 
Taylor's journey to becoming a senior on the LumberJack team has been filled with many twists and turns. In high school, Taylor was a part of an incredibly talented boys' basketball program at Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis. It's a program that has won multiple Minnesota state championships and has produced an NBA draft pick and a highly touted likely NBA draft in the past few years.
 
"Coming from a program like that, it's easy to be overlooked," Taylor said. "On top of that, I didn't really put the effort out academically that I really should've. I had to find an alternate route to playing basketball at the college level. That led to me to a junior college to start my college life. Even though the juco route was tough, I think I learned the immensely valuable lesson of accountability. I learned you can't blame others for the mistakes you make. It was no one's fault but my own that I couldn't go to a 4-year school right out of high school. Once I figured that out, it gave me the confidence I needed, both in the classroom and on the court."
 
Having the toughness to overcome such adversity is something Taylor hopes to use as an example for all his teammates daily.
 
"My journey and my time here at Northland have taught me so much, about both basketball and life," said Taylor. "I feel like the last four years have gone by so fast. Every time I look back at my time, it seems there's an important lesson that I took away from each year. Each season was an incredible chance to learn and grow. A lot of that comes from being on a team. There are so many things you learn that you wouldn't otherwise. Some people even questioned why I would even continue playing after the surgeries. There were times that I felt like giving up, but basketball has meant so much to me my whole life, I wanted to keep playing as long as I could."
Sorenson concurred with Taylor.
 
"Donovan's growth has been tremendous," Sorenson stated. "It's easy to see how much he's grown as a player over four year, but what I don't think people often see enough is his maturity as a person. Going through all he has gone through, and still having that desire to come out each and every day wanting to get better…it's really been a pleasure to see and be a part of."
 
As the LumberJacks head down to St. Paul tonight for their final NCAA Division I game of the season when they take on the University of St. Thomas, Taylor plans to take it all in. After all, playing in your hometown during your senior year can be a special experience.
 
"I feel a bit at ease knowing how close to home our game will be," said Taylor. "There's a vibe to it. You want to play harder knowing you'll have so many friends and family in the crowd who wouldn't otherwise have the chance to see you play in person. You want to put on a show for them. Hopefully, my teammates and I can do that."
 
The Jacks take on NCAA Division I opponent St. Thomas tonight at 7pm in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Northland College is an NCAA Division III institution located in Ashland, WI. The LumberJacks and LumberJills sponsor 14 varsity sports and compete in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference, Midwest Lacrosse Conference and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.