FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Wednesday, February 1, 2017 New Faces: MSUB Women’s Basketball Freshman Taylor Cunningham
MSUB women’s basketball freshman Taylor Cunninham is taking advantage of big minutes in her first season as a versatile player for the Yellowjackets. MSUB SPORTS – Beth and Howard Cunningham entered the general seating area at Central Washington University’s Nicholson Pavilion not entirely sure what was in store. Their daughter, Taylor Cunningham, was about to make her first start for Montana State University Billings’ women’s basketball team, but it wasn’t clear who was the most nervous among the three. If the magnitude of being introduced among the starting five in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference game weighed on Cunningham at all, it didn’t show. The freshman went on to play a season-high 29 minutes, and played one of her most complete games with six points, five rebounds, two steals and an assist, without turning the ball over.
“At the beginning (of the season), I was really nervous because I didn’t want to go into the game and mess up,” Cunningham said. “Now I’m not really nervous anymore, and it’s more exciting. When my family comes it is awesome to play in front of them.” Cunningham has seen action in 11 games since Dec. 3 against the Wildcats, and by February she has settled into her role with the ‘Jackets as a versatile freshman. “Taylor could play several different positions for us, and I believe she will get much stronger between now and next year,” said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. “She has improved with her skills on the perimeter, and she has spent a lot of time in the gym working on her game.” Cunningham has been rewarded with no fewer than 10 minutes in all 20 of MSUB’s games, and has shown flashes of potential with season highs of nine points (at NNU, 12/1) and six rebounds (at CSU San Marcos, 11/12). In addition to her skill on the court, Cunningham adds to the team chemistry with a friendly personality, and has fit in well with her teammates despite being the furthest from home among the Yellowjackets. Growing up in Spokane, Cunningham’s parents got her into basketball around the first grade, while she also competed in volleyball, golf, cross country, and track. She and her younger brother Carson frequented the hoop in their backyard, as Cunningham worked her way onto a traveling team in middle school. When it came time to pursue a college scholarship, it took some research and a little help from an unlikely MSUB connection for Cunningham to become acquainted with the GNAC school. “I kind of had an idea what the GNAC was just because we were close to Central, but I didn’t know about MSUB at all,” Cunningham recalled. Her junior year of high school, a coaching change at Lewis & Clark High School turned into her most promising lead towards playing college ball. From 2008-11, George Pfeifer piloted the MSUB men’s basketball team, before handing off the reins to current head coach Jamie Stevens. By the fall of 2014, he had landed at LCHS and was in charge of preparing Cunningham and her teammates to play at the next level. “I actually heard about Taylor from George, her high school coach, and then I was able to watch her play a few times,” Woodin commented on the connection with his former colleague on the men’s side at MSUB. “What sewed it up for me was her regional championship game where she scored around 20 points and had several rebounds and steals. That helped her team get to the state tournament, and it swayed me into wanting her to become a Yellowjacket.”
Cunningham shoots over Concordia’s Bailey Cartwright during a home game at Alterowitz Gym on Jan. 12.
While several of Cunningham’s teammates advanced on to NCAA Division I schools, she could sense immediately upon arriving on her visit at MSUB that the fit would be perfect for her career to continue. “When I got here it was beyond all of my expectations,” Cunningham said. “The team had a family atmosphere and it was unlike any other school that I looked at.” Cunningham knew that she was surrounding herself with quality teammates and friends by joining the MSUB squad, but she couldn’t have anticipated the accelerated role she’d be called upon to fill as a true freshman. A swath of injuries and hardships left the Yellowjackets with 10 active players early on in the season, and it meant major minutes for Cunningham and her fellow freshmen. “I definitely wasn’t expecting to play this much right away, and the pace of the game is so much faster than high school,” Cunningham commented on her big role as a freshman. “It has been a big change and tough to adapt to, but now I’m feeling like I’ve gotten everything down pretty good.” Leaning heavily on veterans like senior post Tiana Hanson and junior guard Rylee Kane, Cunningham has absorbed the Cunningham (left) has leaned on veterans like Hanson (right) in Yellowjackets’ playbook while simultaneously being asked to her first year with the ‘Jackets. implement it on the court in one of the most competitive Division II conferences in the country. “Tiana and Rylee are people who you can go to and ask anything, and they’re willing to help no matter what,” Cunningham said. “Really, I feel comfortable around all of our upperclassmen.” Facing adversity and being under the pressure of performing in her first season has been a great challenge for Cunningham, but her ability to keep things loose and make the game fun is what makes her unique as a teammate. Adopting the nickname ‘Carl’ to differentiate from similarly-named guard Taylor Edwards was a must, namely for her teammates to distinguish between the two when showing off their dance moves in tandem during practice. “Taylor is well-liked by her teammates, and has a great sense of humor,” Woodin said. “I know she misses her family a lot, but she has settled into Billings and gets along great with her teammates.” Cunningham is one of four freshmen this year for the ‘Jackets, joined by Abbie Lohof (her roommate), Jeanann Lemelin, and Sophia Wass. “We all hang out together and get along really well,” Cunningham said. “It has been fun getting to know each other’s families and learning about each other.” Spending the majority of her first season taking in the pace of play and extensive offensive and defensive sets the team employs, Cunningham cited becoming more of a vocal leader as one of her main goals between her first and second seasons. Skill wise, the 5-foot-11 forward is determined to hone her shooting ability to continue to be a dual threat from the arc and in post play. “Jenny has been really helping me to get my shot off faster, because in a game you need to be ready to shoot quickly,” Cunningham said citing MSUB assistant coach Jenny Heringer. “I want to be able to do some
things off the dribble as well, and get to the rim more. Sometimes I hang out on the 3-point line and wait to be fed the ball, so I want to be able to get it, make a move, and pull up.” Woodin is a firm believer in Cunningham’s ability to grow into an all-around fixture within his lineup, commenting that her best asset is her potential to be a solid scorer, rebounder, and defensive player while accumulating positive stats. With eight games left on the regular-season schedule, Cunningham and the ‘Jackets remain alive in the race towards the GNAC Championships. MSUB (614, 3-9 GNAC) will host Saint Martin’s University and Seattle Pacific University this weekend, facing a pair of crucial conference games in keeping pace among the league standings. Competition in the GNAC, which features four schools in Cunningham’s home state of Washington, has made her college basketball career easily accessible to her parents Beth and Howard. The duo has even made the long trip east to the Magic City to support their daughter within the confines of Alterowitz Gym. “They have always given me the opportunity to keep playing and to succeed in school and basketball,” Cunningham said referring to her parents. “They have always told me they just want me to be happy, whether I wanted to keep playing or not. Having that support has been very meaningful.” --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--