Taylor Brower begins his first year as head coach of the Carbon Dinos basketball team. The team ended the year with an 8-15 overall record, going 4-10 in the tough Region 12 division. Brower will be assisted this year by Jason Tatton, Justin Orth, Eric Branch and Tyler Wright.
Commenting on returning athletes and what they will bring to the table, Coach Bower stated, “I have a lot of players that have varsity experience, but none that started consistently. The kids I have are going to bring athleticism and a work hard attitude to the games. The seniors will drive the season. They are the ones that are going to set the example and deal with different aspects of the team.”
Continuing on what the team has been doing on the off-season, “We’ve played a lot of basketball. In the summer we played 54 games in 10 days. We went to a lot of summer camps and learned what our identity will be. We also held open gyms as often as possible and had a lot of kids show up.”
The team is looking to improve their record and from last season, as well as their competitiveness. The main goal is to just get better and they have set some goals for the summer, planning to set some more as the season begins.
He was then asked about some challenging opponents this year, “We have a tough region. I believe that we will have three of the top five teams in our region this year. Richfield is tough, along with Manti. [I] saw Canyon View play this summer and they look really good. Emery will always be a challenge because of the rivalry.”
Describing his coaching styler, Bower replied, “I am tough and have high expectations but I’m also understanding. I want them to succeed but I will not bend my morals or beliefs of how I want the game to played. I am huge believer that offense wins games and defense wins championships. The defense we are going to play will [be] tough and high energy. I want kids to run and just play the game.”
He ended the interview with his three Core Values that will drive the team: Relationships, Toughness and Having Fun.
“Relationships are important because I honestly believe that if a coach can develop close relationships with their players, then they will walk through fire for them. This also goes with the players as well. If the players know that they have each other’s backs and that we are a “family” then success will come but it will also help them develop relationships in the future. Toughness (GRIT) is something that is needed in life. Life is hard and things will come that people need to fight through. Fighting through life is what kids need to learn. But this also goes back to relationships because if a group of people or kids go through hard things together then that bond will be stronger. Having Fun is the core at why we play the game. I think coaches forget that this game that we play should be fun. That is what keeps us coming back. That is why the game is played by all ages. That what I want the kids to understand. The game can be hard and we will struggle but we can have fun doing it.”