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04/30/2020 12:00 AMAs a freshman, Taylor Salato saw a few minutes of playing time when the East Haven girls’ basketball team defeated Career in the Class M state championship game. Those few minutes gave Taylor some perspective about what she could achieve at East Haven and pushed her to elevate her game.
Now a junior, Taylor earned All-SCC First Team and All-State First Team honors, while helping the Yellowjackets advance to the quarterfinals of the Class MM State Tournament this year. In the last game of the season, Taylor scored 26 points when East Haven rallied for a 55-50 victory over East Catholic in a second-round matchup.
“I came back in the second half and played exactly how I wanted to play all season. I think it will be a turning point for me next season,” says Taylor of her performance against East Catholic. “Knowing and being capable of what you can do is amazing. Once you have that in your mind, you’ll be able to play up to par every single game.”
Taylor began playing basketball at the age of four. She was encouraged to try the sport by her mother, who played basketball, and her grandfather, who played and coached. Taylor would often watch basketball games with her granddad to help her learn about the sport. Taylor says that both of her parents have supported her throughout her career, adding that her grandparents are her “biggest supporters and biggest critiques.”
Prior to joining the Yellowjackets, Taylor participated in travel basketball and competed in the AAU circuit during the spring. When she came to East Haven, Taylor had gained a great deal of experience as a result of both watching and playing the sport. Taylor says that her next goal was to “make a name” for herself in high school.
In her first year with the Easties, Taylor was on the roster with two of the best players in program history: Kylie Schlottman and Makenzie Helms. Taylor earned playing time on the varsity court and says that appearing in the state final, even if it was just for a couple of minutes, was an experience that she will always cherish.
“I played for like a minute or two in the championship game and that feeling, there’s nothing like it,” Taylor says. “Playing on that Mohegan Sun floor, it just made us want to win more, and that’s what motivated us. The state championship is something you will never forget.”
From that moment on, Taylor trained harder and harder in order to become a key piece of East Haven’s rotation. Head Coach Anthony Russell has seen Taylor continually get better the past few years as she’s transformed herself into one of the Yellowjackets’ leading offensive weapons.
“She’s super athletic. Taylor is 6-foot tall and strong. She’s fundamentally sound. She can shoot from the perimeter or post up,” says Russell. “Taylor sees the floor well and sees her teammates on the perimeter for kickouts. Because of all of her physical tools, sometimes she doesn’t realize how good she can be. She really started to believe it toward the end of the season.”
With Taylor’s confidence rising, she strung together a few performances that showcased her abilities at the tail end of the campaign. Facing Hamden in the SCC final, Taylor scored seven of the Yellowjackets’ first nine points and 16 points overall in a 40-36 defeat. She followed that up with a 20-rebound outing in a 49-37 victory versus Capital Prep in the first round of the Class MM State Tournament. Taylor went on to net 26 points when East Haven beat East Catholic in the second round of states.
“Going into every game, you kind of have that mindset that you’re going to take over the game and you’re going to be the one that helps the most,” Taylor says. “I know I’m not going to score every basket that goes up, but I know I have to be aggressive in the paint.”
Taylor plans on playing basketball at the collegiate level after she graduates from East Haven and has already spoken to coaches from the Massachusetts and Rhode Island area. Coach Russell is expecting Taylor to finish out her career with the Yellowjackets on a strong note.
“This is the last class of the state championship team. The expectations are going to be high,” Russell says. “We’re going to look for Taylor to be vocal and positive and help carry the torch for those teams of the past.”
After first picking up a basketball at the age of four, Taylor fell in love with the sport. That passion continued to grow with every game that she played. As she looks toward her senior year, Taylor wants to make the most of her final season at East Haven.
“Next year is going to be really hard, knowing that I’m a senior and that there is going to be a last game, there’s going to be Senior Night. It’s going to bring out the emotions a lot,” Taylor says. “But playing the best I can next year with a team I love is really going to help me remember my time at East Haven. You don’t forget your senior year. You want to have fun and you want to play the way you know you can play.”