Texas State women’s basketball has a rich history of success and excellence, both on and off the court. Graduate guard Kennedy Taylor has been one of the best playmakers in the Sun Belt Conference throughout her career, constantly showcasing what it truly means to be a Bobcat athlete.
Working hard both on the court and in the classroom is what’s most important to Taylor, and her work speaks for itself. Taylor has been on the receiving end of multiple accolades in the Sun Belt Conference and within her academic studies.
Standing at 5-foot-3-inches, Taylor is considered an undersized guard in the game of basketball but it doesn’t restrict her ability to score, pass and defend players on an elite level. Taylor said that she always believed in heart over height.
Head coach Zenarae Antoine believes that she’s improved defensively over the years, and she can still thrive in other areas which combine to make her a unique player.
“She’s feisty, I mean how many times have you seen her go up against a 6-foot-4 kid and just snatch that ball,” Antoine said, “It’s no surprise to us and the people that know her that she plays much bigger than what you can visually see.”
In just the third game of her final season, Taylor eclipsed Bobcat history and cemented herself atop the all-time career assists leaderboard with a seven-assist performance against Arlington Baptist on Nov. 15, 2022.
Just four days later, after Taylor recorded a 10-assist game against the University of Texas at El Paso, she became the first student-athlete in program history with at least 600 career assists.
Taylor topped a record held for over 30 years by Shelly Borton who finished playing with a total of 595 assists after her fourth year in 1990.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Taylor said. “I think it’s really a special honor to be able to call myself the all-time assist leader and I love to do it with this team. This team really holds a very special place in my heart.”
Taylor also managed to break a 36-year Sun Belt Conference record with 748 total career assists. It was her second year in a row leading the conference in assists.
A second consecutive assist-leading season for Taylor is only a fraction of her overall abilities. Antoine holds incredibly high praise for Taylor, and she respects her ability to affect the game in multiple ways.
“She’s not only a young woman who can distribute the ball and make great passes, she can score in addition to that and she can shine in other ways,” Antoine said. “She’s been able to get better defensively, I mean all these things really grow her whole persona that make her a really special Bobcat.”
Taylor knows this will be her last season as a Bobcat, but she said that she’s still focused on the task at hand this season: winning a championship.
“I don’t think it has really hit me yet, you know, everybody has kind of been asking how I feel and what I’m going to do, but I think I’m really just focused on these last few games that we have,” Taylor said. “It’s definitely going to be bittersweet but I’m just ready to go out with a bang with my teammates.”
On Friday, the Texas State women’s basketball team beat Arkansas State to complete their 2023 regular season atop the Sun Belt Conference for the first time in 15 years. The Bobcats anticipate a deep playoff run in this year’s conference tournament held in Pensacola, Florida.
The first round of the conference tournament begins on Tuesday, Feb. 28, and Texas State is set to play its first game on Friday against the winner of the Louisiana and Appalachian State game.