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Currently entering her twelfth year at Spalding, Coach Deb Taylor has helped turn Spalding basketball into a highly respected winning program. The Cavaliers are consistently ranked in the Top 20 in the area, including the #1 ranking in 2001-02. The Spalding program is renowned for several players each season receiving individual recognition and continuing their playing and academic careers at highly respected universities. Currently, there are 19 former Cavaliers who continued their basketball careers at Division 1, 2, & 3 colleges. Nine received an offer of a basketball scholarship to a Division 1 or 2 school; one young lady was named Division 3 All-American, Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year in her conference, and one player was a Junior College All-American. One former Cavalier played professionally overseas. In the highly competitive IAAM Conference, Coach Taylor has coached 13 league All-Stars, and two Players of the Year.
The 2006-07 team did a tremendous job of returning the Cavaliers to local prominence. Led by 4 seniors and a group of steady underclassmen, the Cavaliers were competitive in every game, and finished 5th in the very tough A Conference. They came very close to knocking off several of the "Big 4" in the league, and were a very dangerous team to play. The experience they received, playing these tough teams to a close finish, makes the Cavaliers one of the teams to beat in the conference for next season. Three seniors (Whitney Snoops, Allyssa Mann, & Colleen Seeba) were selected to the Anne Arundel County Senior All-Star team, and Whitney earned MVP honors for her play during the game. Whitney was also recognized for her play with post-season awards of A Conference All-Star, Baltimore Sun AA County First Team, and Capitol & Gazette First Team. Sophomore Jenn Rindone earned Baltimore Sun Player of the Week in December, while Whitney earned Capitol & Gazette Player of the Week during the same week. The team was ranked as high as 9th during the season, and highlights included a championship at the Bullis pre-Christmas Tournament and a post-Christmas tournament to Walt Disney World (where Allyssa Mann earned All-Tournament).
The 2001-02 team remains the most successful team in the history of the Cavaliers, earning the #1 ranking in the Baltimore Metro area, and winnning the school’s first IAAM A Conference Championship, as well as the inaugural Private School State Championship. Spalding remains the only team to knock off St. Francis, who are winners of 6 of the last 7 IAAM Championships. The Cavaliers were led that year by seniors Kylie Bestul, Latoya Strong, Maggie Rapp, Gina Guaragna, & Angela Schaech (4 went on to play college basketball, 1 college soccer). Coach Taylor’s teams are known for their aggressive, hard working style of play, and their strong fundamentals. They are very team oriented, making them difficult to scout and defend, and play an exciting brand of defensive, fastbreak basketball. In addition to coaching the Cavaliers, Coach Deb also runs the very successful girls basketball camp at Spalding, as well as numerous other skills clinics throughout the year. She is also employed as a physical therapist, and draws on her knowledge and experience when working with her players, both in injury prevention and rehabilitation.
Coach Deb played Division 1 basketball at the University of Vermont, where she was the All-Time Assists leader until 1998, and in the Top 10 for all statistical categories. In high school, she was a 1000 point scorer, all-state performer, and led her team (in Massachusetts) to a Top 20 ranking in USA Today as a senior. She also played AAU basketball and captained teams that finished 4th and 7th in the country. Her overall goals at Spalding are simple: to establish a consistent winning program in the IAAM League and the state of Maryland, while fostering maturity, high self-esteem, and a positive attitude in her players. Coach Taylor and her husband of 17 years Kirk have one son, Kevin. The Taylors live in Laurel.
Assistant Coach Kammi Cottrell
enters her sixth year as a member of the Cavalier coaching
staff. Kammi played for Coach Deb in the AAU Hurricanes organization, as a 13-16
year old. She went on to an outstanding basketball and volleyball career at
Annapolis High School, where she was a 1000 point scorer and hauled in 1000
rebounds. She was named All-Met and All-County several times. Following high
school, she went on to a successful athletic career at North Idaho Junior
College. Kammi is a knowledgeable young coach, who is responsible primarily for
the development of the post players. She lives and works in Annapolis.
Assistant Coach Leo Latonick begins his 7th year on the Cavalier staff. Coach Leo was initially the JV coach in 2001-02, leading his squad to the JV Championship, in the same year that the varsity won the IAAM. That squad was led by his daughter Meggie, while twin Katie was an impact freshman on the varsity. Following that season, the varsity was loaded with Latonicks, as Meggie & Coach Leo joined the varsity for 3 more very successful seasons. In addition to his work with the Cavaliers, Coach Leo has coached the twins with the Waves AAU organization since they were 9, and led the team to several Top 10 national finishes. Meggie & Katie now play lacrosse at Quinnipiac College. Son Matt play lacrosse at Towson University. Leo & his wife Suzy also have an older son, Mike, who attended Spalding & St. Joe's University. Coach Leo played Division 1 basketball for the Naval Academy.
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Prior to her
arrival at Spalding, Coach Taylor turned around the varsity program at the
Institute of Notre Dame, where her team finished in the Top 20 in the area for
the two years she was there. Coach Deb also has coached in the Chesapeake Bay
Hurricane AAU organization for five years, leading her team to the National
Tournament four years, and having 12 former players go on to compete and receive
scholarships to Division 1 schools.
Assistant
Coach Bob Schaech begins his tenth season as an integral part of the Cavalier
staff. Bob and Deb coached together in the Hurricane AAU Organization in 1994,
and gained a mutual respect for their coaching abilities. Bob joined the
Cavalier staff in Deb’s second season, and has had 2 daughters have very
successful careers for the Cavaliers. Lauren went on to play at Iona College,
which she attended on a full basketball scholarship. Angela earned a basketball
and academic scholarship to NOVA Southeastern University, later switching to a
successful track career. “Mr. Bob” is a favorite of the girls, well liked for
his positive and easy going attitude; he is instrumental in their individual
skill development. Bob is currently a United Airlines pilot, and also coached a
Hurricane AAU team for 7 years, taking several teams to the AAU Nationals. Bob
and his wife Kathy also have a son, Bobby, who graduated from Spalding and
plays baseball for Catholic University. 