The Blue and Gold is excited to announce its newest segment: student of the week. For its first feature, the Blue and Gold staff unanimously decided on Kam Taylor. Taylor is a senior here at Carmel. This is Taylor’s first year at Carmel, and he only enrolled at Carmel two weeks before the school year started. When asked about how his transition was on such short notice, Taylor said, “It all happened at once, but the transition helped because [Carmel] was very welcoming.” Taylor also said that he has enjoyed his time at Carmel so far and that the people have been very kind and hospitable.

Taylor is one of the captains of the CCS basketball team this year. Taylor reflected on what the position means to him as he stated, “[it has been] really cool because I used to be on JV when I was a sophomore and now I am a team captain, so it is a big improvement.” Taylor is a believer in hard work, as he credits his worth ethic to the player that he is today.
“Working out when nobody is watching and working hard with no shortcuts,” Taylor states. He also has plenty of basketball experience. He was a member of the Olympic basketball team last year, and he also plays for Team United in the EYBL, Nike’s high school basketball circuit.

Similar to Taylor, Head Coach Tamar Slay is also new to Carmel this year. Taylor stated that playing for a primarily new coaching staff had its challenges, but overall has been a positive and fun experience, since Slay is a “player’s coach.” The season has had its up and down according to Taylor, but he believes that because of Carmel’s strength of schedule, they can go all the way this year. Taylor believes that with continued hard work and team unity, this team is poised for a big-time playoff run. Taylor is a leader on and off the court and has certainly been a welcomed personality in the Carmel student body.