On Their Behalf

He does it for the kids. It is as simple as that. They play his way, which is old school. His way, which means play hard. His way, which means discipline. His way, which means focus on the classroom and good behavior in the hallways. The kids play his way, which means kids that might not get a chance to go to college often do after going through his program. In a nutshell, to play basketball at Wichita Southeast, it is Carl Taylor's way or the highway. All people are products of their environment and upbringing, but Taylor has a talent for inspiring people to rise above disadvantageous circumstances. As a prep basketball coach for 30-plus years at Bonner Springs, Junction City and Wichita Southeast, Taylor's own hard-knock life gave him the drive to do it his way with success. He took over a Southeast program in the early '90s which was floundering and turned it into a perennial state title contender. Deon Allen, a former Taylor assistant at Southeast and the current head coach at Wichita South, grew to admire Taylor's coaching style and knows its roots. "As a kid, he was one of those that wanted to improve his life and took his responsibilities very serious," says Allen, who has resurrected the South basketball program in his second season there. "He is about as true blue a person as there is." Taylor was raised in Kansas City, Mo., where he graduated from Immanuel High School. He went on to play basketball and earn a college degree, attending junior college in Kansas City before graduating from Ottawa University. As the oldest child of nine, he took on the responsibility of being a leader and example for his younger siblings. Caring for his family is where he learned humility and the concept of thinking of kids first. That dovetailed into what he learned playing college ball. Taylor was a sacrificial, defense-first, team-first player, which bore his longtime coaching philosophy. "I was your average player. I played defense, and that was what got me a lot of playing time," says Taylor about his playing days. "To work hard and play defense is what I was taught." Taylor's reputation as a coach is well-known: if you want to play for him, you better play hard. Two players on his current Southeast squad know this fact well. "Playing for Coach Taylor can be easy, or you can make it hard," says senior guard Adonis Gantt. "If you do as he asks, keep your mouth shut and play hard, it can be easy." The preparation to win at Southeast starts in practice and carries over to game situations, according to Gantt. "He teaches us to play defense and make our offense off of what we do on defense," says Gantt. "You can go hard and get a substitute when you need one, or if you don't go hard, you will get a sub anyway. It is easier just to go hard." The work ethic Taylor teaches his players to implement on the court has led to his success in sending players on to the next level. Taylor can't reel off the specific number of his players who have progressed to college basketball, but he can name names that dot current rosters at various Kansas community colleges, Wichita State, and Portland State. He is also proud of his former player, Tony Brown, who now plays in Europe, and Rashad Washington, who toils in a different sport for the New York Jets of the NFL. Senior Jordan Cyphers, who will play at the University of Utah next year, has valued his time with Taylor. "It has been a good experience playing for Coach Taylor. He helps us as players both on and off of the court," says Cyphers. "He has made me stronger mentally as a player and made me play better defense. I'm also better off of the dribble." Allen, who has had many coaching influences, credits Taylor with helping him relate to today's high school students. "I think his style is what attracts kids to play for him. I feel like they really want discipline," says Allen. "He is one of the most fair guys that I've been around. He is tough, but the things that he asks them to do are of a benefit to them. He helps kids who eventually may have never gone to college, get to college and graduate." Taylor has had his challenges over the years. He says it was a little tough coaching his own step-son while at Junction City, but that situation is not all that far away from what he goes through on a daily basis. "I try to treat (my players) like my sons and have the same expectations (for them) that I would have for my children," he says. "I've been where they are trying to go. I am trying get them ready for life, not just the Xs and Os part. I work with them on self-discipline, respect and to get those grades in the classroom. That is what they are here for, not basketball. I help them get through high school, and if they have a chance to go to college, then that is a plus." Southeast played in the January Jam mid-season basketball tournament at Valley Center, where Taylor became the wins-leader in City League coaching history, earning his 251st win as a coach in the league against Valley Center in the first round. This fact has not totally escaped Taylor, but it also is not one that he embraces. Before that night he couldn't have told you off the top of his head how many wins he has at Southeast, and he still can't reel off his total career wins. What he's done in the past just isn't that important to him. But the one thing that does seem to matter are the three state championships. Taylor coached Bonner Springs to a state title in 1984 and brought state crowns to Southeast in 1999, the school's first in 28 years, and 2003. "Those are the lasting memories that you never forget because of the simple fact of what they mean to the kids, the communities, and the staff and administration of the schools," says Taylor. "I have kids from the Bonner Springs team that still call me. You will always have those ties and great memories." Looking at Carl Taylor from a distance, you might see a large man with a hard, chiseled face and what appears to be a demeanor that rules with an iron fist. Most of the time that characterization would be spot on, but a young Coach Allen does remember at least one time when the coach let his emotions show. The scene was Allen's first season as an assistant at Southeast, '98-99, when the Buffaloes went into the state championship game against Shawnee Mission West with a 22-2 record. Rashad Washington was a senior and Donte McCoy was a key player on the team. "We ended up beating them by 20, and that was the first state title for Southeast in a long time, in any sport," Allen says. "The kids were going crazy when they handed out the trophy. To see the big bear standing there with a tear in his eye because he was happy for the kids, that touched me. He is a man that really has the kids' best interest at heart, and it is not about us as coaches or us as fans. It's always about the kids."