Sharpshooting Iowa recruit Taylor McCabe rewriting record books
FREMONT, Neb. (BVM) 鈥� Kelly Flynn became the Fremont Tigers鈥� head coach in 2018. It probably couldn鈥檛 have been better timing because that was also the year that Taylor McCabe arrived at the high school.
Suffice it to say, the girls basketball program hasn鈥檛 been the same since.
鈥淪he鈥檚 been a dream,鈥� Flynn said of McCabe. 鈥淔rom freshman year, she鈥檚 made a big, big impact not only on Fremont basketball but the state of Nebraska. 鈥� She鈥檚 pretty much rewritten our record books.鈥�
The 5-foot-9 star senior guard who鈥檚 been committed to the University of Iowa since August of 2020 is approaching 2,000 points for her career. She not only holds multiple school records for steals and 3-pointers, but she鈥檚 also on her way to breaking the state record for career 3-pointers made. Brooke Kissinger set the mark in 2014 when she finished her Minden career with 363 treys. McCabe has 325 with nearly two full months of her senior season remaining.
A quick, difficult-to-guard scorer who consistently finds multiple ways to get her shot up before defenders can challenge her, McCabe will likely leave Fremont for Iowa City as the most accomplished long-range shooter in the history of Nebraska high school girls basketball.
鈥淭here are shots that she鈥檒l practice that you鈥檒l see somebody else shoot in a game and you鈥檒l think they鈥檙e maybe forcing it because they maybe haven鈥檛 worked on it, but she works on those things so much,鈥� Flynn said. 鈥淲ith her between-the-legs stepback, it makes her really difficult to defend because she鈥檚 got a quick first step, she can blow by, but she can also stop on a dime and pull up and shoot a jumper. I鈥檝e had quite a few people over the years tell me that she has one of the quickest releases they鈥檝e ever seen.鈥�
With such talent, McCabe had no shortage of college suitors prior to committing to the Hawkeyes, as would be expected for a four-star recruit who among the top 100 players in the country for the Class of 2022. McCabe also considered offers from Wisconsin, Creighton, Nebraska, and several other Division I programs before deciding that Iowa was the right fit for her future.
鈥淚owa jumped on me pretty early on in my recruiting process so I鈥檝e known the coaching staff for a very long time,鈥� McCabe said. 鈥淭he stability and culture within the program was an obvious plus. I like the way that they play and they really thought I would fit into their style and I wanted to go to a place where they wanted me and that was the case. I like the school and I really like the team and the coaches. Everything was so right about it.鈥�
Flynn believes McCabe鈥檚 game will transfer quite well to the Big Ten, and not just because of her exceptional long-range shooting ability.
鈥淪he鈥檚 a great defensive player,鈥� Flynn said. 鈥淲e always put her on the (other team鈥檚) best offensive player. She鈥檚 also a very fast runner and an extremely hard worker. She can handle the ball, so I think they can use her as a shooting guard but I think they can also have her handle the ball. She鈥檚 very good in a lot of different categories for us. I think that knowing that she鈥檚 going to be going to that next level, she鈥檚 really tried to improve her game as opposed to just being a 3-point threat.鈥�
Even though she already holds multiple school records for steals, McCabe said she鈥檚 using her final high school season to establish herself as an even better defensive player while also trying to become a better rebounder. But individual goals aside, she also has high hopes for her team in 2022.
鈥淲e really want to win state this year,鈥� McCabe said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e gotten further and further every single year and we came up short (in the state championship) last year by four points to a really good (Lincoln) Pius (X) team, but this year we really think it鈥檚 our chance and it鈥檚 our last chance we wanna throw everything we have at it.鈥�
Regardless of whether or not McCabe finishes her Tigers career with a state title, she鈥檒l undoubtedly leave Fremont with plenty to be proud of, including a bunch of records that will be hard to break.
鈥淪he鈥檚 really been special for Fremont High School,鈥� Flynn said. 鈥淚 think she鈥檒l be a special player for Iowa as well.鈥�
