Taylor Brower was born in Utah, then moved to Wyoming when he was 11-years-old. He began playing basketball in second grade, up until his graduation year in 2005. He varsity lettered twice at Star Valley High School in his four years with the team, playing football as well. Brower will begin his first year as head coach of the Carbon High School Dinos basketball team this season.
When asked about some of his hobbies, he replied, “I enjoy spending time with my family, reading and learning new things. Also, going back to Wyoming every year to help my parents on the family farm. Love doing that and helping them.”
Coach Brower has 12 years of coaching experience, beginning at Sky View High School in Smithfield, Utah, where he had coached the Sophomore team to a State Championship. He then coached four years at South Sevier High School, coaching both football and basketball before making his way to Carbon County. He spent three years as head coach at Helper Middle School’s football team, four years at Pinnacle Canyon’s basketball, a year with USUE basketball and finally two years at Carbon, coaching the basketball and football programs.
A fun moment from his coaching career came in 2012, when one of his players hit a half-court shot that sent them to the state championship. The moment made it onto ESPN’s Sportscenter Top Ten, where he was seen jumping around in the crowd filled with excitement.
“I have three core values that drive my coaching philosophy: relationships, toughness, have fun. Relationships are key because it’s the relationships you build on and off the court that will help you in your life. Learning how to earn the respect of others and to give respect is the foundation that anyone should build on. Once those relationships are established, building a bond and having a cohesive team is what will allow teams to be successful. If the player is playing for the team and for those he represents, the drive to be better and do better grows,” Coach Brower stated.
He continued, “Toughness is how we go about building a culture. Things in life will not always be easy, but if we can have the grit and toughness to see things through, then we can do anything. Toughness in basketball is more mental than anything. Having fun is why we play the game. We start playing it because it’s fun and we enjoy doing it. Once that goes away the ability to get better diminishes. I want the players to have fun in the game and learn how to actually play the game the way it’s supposed to be played.”
When asked how he will promote a positive environment for the athlete, he stated, “I build relationships with them. Because I teach a majority of the players, I build that in the classroom. My students will say that I am respectful but have high expectations. I want that to also be the same on the court. I don’t want to put players down for making mistakes because as a former player I made plenty of mistakes and I always appreciated when a coach would build me up after those moments. I have high expectations and morals and the team will reflect that. I want the team to be known as having high character and an example to the younger generation.”
When asked what the team will need to be competitive this upcoming year, coach responded, “They need to change their mindset of what it takes to win. Most kids in today’s world think that if they show up, they can succeed and that is not the case. We struggle with resting on our past and how well they do in other sports. We have got to break that mindset and realize that each sport is separate and they must work just as hard at basketball as in other sports. They also need to learn how to trust each other. If there is no trust on the court, my defensive philosophy will not work. That trust comes from doing things for each other on and off the court. I want the team to be a family and realize that they can’t do it alone.”
Finishing up the interview, Coach Brower was asked about his goals and expectations as a first-year head coach of the team.
“My goals are not mine but those that are set by the team. We had a team camp over the summer and the goals they set are good and achievable goals. Be above .500, make/play at state tournament, host a playoff game, hold teams to under their average and win region. I honestly believe we can achieve these but it will come down to working harder than the other teams. My expectations are high. We have a good group of seniors coming back and a lot of juniors that can help. The underclassmen are great and have a lot of room for improvement but have a solid foundation to build on.”