Boston College Athletics
The Spirit of Soule
November 23, 2020 | Women's Basketball, #ForBoston Files
The team's success could elevate Taylor Soule's status into elite levels.
Last year made basketball synonymous with respect for Taylor Soule. She was the ACC's Most Improved Player and earned second team All-ACC Tournament honors, and season-long awards poured in for her from both the conference and a blue ribbon panel. Her individual game matured, and Boston College's team success earned her personal accolades normally reserved for blue-blood program elites.
But it brought her respect, and it made opponents fear her game. This year, that anxiety should only get worse as Soule and the Eagles seek to finish unresolved goals from last season's NCAA Tournament-caliber performance.
Her individual game matured, and the Eagles' team success earned her accolades normally reserved for elites playing at blue-blood programs. It also brought her respect and made opponents fear her game for the possibilities ahead as BC and Soule seek to finish goals left unresolved from last season.
"It was great to have the three seniors that we did," Soule said, "and they taught (me) a lot about being a great leader. Now it's about carrying on their legacy and trying my best to lead, myself first. I want to be a better teammate for the underclassmen. We're not always going to be perfect, but it's important to work on it. (This year) is different from past years because of the pressure, but it's a good pressure. It's a privilege, honestly."
Breakout numbers entrenched Soule in a pantheon occupied by the very best of the Boston College program. She scored 465 points and joined names like Kerry Curran, Amber Jacobs and Stephanie Murphy, but her 245 rebounds were eighth-most in program history. She scored 20 points on eight different occasions, and her 29-point performance against North Carolina was the most points scored by an Eagle in five years. In the ACC Tournament against Duke, she scored 26 to help spearhead a comeback win over the higher-seeded Blue Devils and their WNBA third round pick, Haley Gorecki.
Her game wasn't limited to one dimension, though, and Soule smashed the glass for more than seven rebounds per game, the third BC player to accomplish the feat in four years. She earned more foul shots than any other player on the team and likewise hit more charity shots to the tune of 72 percent efficiency, and her 12-of-14 performance against Clemson in the ACC Tournament boosted the Eagles on a night when her jump shot struggled.
Soule had 10 double-doubles and scored in double figures in five consecutive games en route to a more than 14 points per game average. Added pressure forced her to evolve on the fly, and she found ways to improve her game, lessons she took into the offseason when the coaching staff identified opportunities to turn into the next level of player.
"Last year, players were able to back off of her defensively and give her a lot of cushion," head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee said. "It would mess things up when she was on the weak side because her player would be all the way over to clog things up. We asked her to improve her outside shooting and knock down an 18-footer. We haven't had any pressure from the lights of a game, but that 15-footer might as well be a layup right now. She really took that to heart and worked on it over the summer. I'm very proud of her ability to take the next step in her game and hit that mid-range, outside shot."
"When you're on the scouting report and someone says to stick off, I know, on defense, I can take off (to) help my teammates," Soule said. "You never want to be that player. As a junior, if I want to improve my game offensively and defensively, it has to mean that I can take that 15-footer. It's a big pride thing, but it's also there to help my team."
Dynamic performance served notice to the ACC last year, but even adding another layer of magnetism to her game will push her into elite levels. Her numbers rivaled WNBA first round draft picks Satou Sabally and Jazmine Jones, and she finished last season 11th in the ACC in overall scoring.
Four players ahead of her have since departed for the professional ranks, and the ensuing vacuum allowed the league to elevate expectations for the junior. She earned preseason All-ACC team honors and was placed on the watch list for both the Cheryl Miller Award and the Women's Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy, and it indicated to both her and her coaches what exactly is on the road ahead.
It's just a matter of performing. Last season earned respect for Taylor Soule because BC's team succeeded, but doubters still exist. Starting Wednesday, her path can lead directly to the uncharted waters of excellence, but it will take a singular focus on the same muse that led the Eagles to 20 wins a year ago.
"We take it day-by-day and try not to get caught up in the little things," McNamee said. "If this year taught us anything, we don't get rattled by the little things, and we stick to what we know. We want to stay confident and support each other every day. We have so few opportunities to get ready for ACC play, so we have to get ready in practice."
Boston College will host New Hampshire on Wednesday, November 25, at noon at Conte Forum. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, games will be held without fans with only essential personnel and credentialed media permitted to attend. The game will be televised as part of the ACC Network Extra package on ESPN's online platform.
But it brought her respect, and it made opponents fear her game. This year, that anxiety should only get worse as Soule and the Eagles seek to finish unresolved goals from last season's NCAA Tournament-caliber performance.
Her individual game matured, and the Eagles' team success earned her accolades normally reserved for elites playing at blue-blood programs. It also brought her respect and made opponents fear her game for the possibilities ahead as BC and Soule seek to finish goals left unresolved from last season.
"It was great to have the three seniors that we did," Soule said, "and they taught (me) a lot about being a great leader. Now it's about carrying on their legacy and trying my best to lead, myself first. I want to be a better teammate for the underclassmen. We're not always going to be perfect, but it's important to work on it. (This year) is different from past years because of the pressure, but it's a good pressure. It's a privilege, honestly."
Breakout numbers entrenched Soule in a pantheon occupied by the very best of the Boston College program. She scored 465 points and joined names like Kerry Curran, Amber Jacobs and Stephanie Murphy, but her 245 rebounds were eighth-most in program history. She scored 20 points on eight different occasions, and her 29-point performance against North Carolina was the most points scored by an Eagle in five years. In the ACC Tournament against Duke, she scored 26 to help spearhead a comeback win over the higher-seeded Blue Devils and their WNBA third round pick, Haley Gorecki.
Her game wasn't limited to one dimension, though, and Soule smashed the glass for more than seven rebounds per game, the third BC player to accomplish the feat in four years. She earned more foul shots than any other player on the team and likewise hit more charity shots to the tune of 72 percent efficiency, and her 12-of-14 performance against Clemson in the ACC Tournament boosted the Eagles on a night when her jump shot struggled.
Soule had 10 double-doubles and scored in double figures in five consecutive games en route to a more than 14 points per game average. Added pressure forced her to evolve on the fly, and she found ways to improve her game, lessons she took into the offseason when the coaching staff identified opportunities to turn into the next level of player.
"Last year, players were able to back off of her defensively and give her a lot of cushion," head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee said. "It would mess things up when she was on the weak side because her player would be all the way over to clog things up. We asked her to improve her outside shooting and knock down an 18-footer. We haven't had any pressure from the lights of a game, but that 15-footer might as well be a layup right now. She really took that to heart and worked on it over the summer. I'm very proud of her ability to take the next step in her game and hit that mid-range, outside shot."
"When you're on the scouting report and someone says to stick off, I know, on defense, I can take off (to) help my teammates," Soule said. "You never want to be that player. As a junior, if I want to improve my game offensively and defensively, it has to mean that I can take that 15-footer. It's a big pride thing, but it's also there to help my team."
Dynamic performance served notice to the ACC last year, but even adding another layer of magnetism to her game will push her into elite levels. Her numbers rivaled WNBA first round draft picks Satou Sabally and Jazmine Jones, and she finished last season 11th in the ACC in overall scoring.
Four players ahead of her have since departed for the professional ranks, and the ensuing vacuum allowed the league to elevate expectations for the junior. She earned preseason All-ACC team honors and was placed on the watch list for both the Cheryl Miller Award and the Women's Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy, and it indicated to both her and her coaches what exactly is on the road ahead.
It's just a matter of performing. Last season earned respect for Taylor Soule because BC's team succeeded, but doubters still exist. Starting Wednesday, her path can lead directly to the uncharted waters of excellence, but it will take a singular focus on the same muse that led the Eagles to 20 wins a year ago.
"We take it day-by-day and try not to get caught up in the little things," McNamee said. "If this year taught us anything, we don't get rattled by the little things, and we stick to what we know. We want to stay confident and support each other every day. We have so few opportunities to get ready for ACC play, so we have to get ready in practice."
Boston College will host New Hampshire on Wednesday, November 25, at noon at Conte Forum. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, games will be held without fans with only essential personnel and credentialed media permitted to attend. The game will be televised as part of the ACC Network Extra package on ESPN's online platform.
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