MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama women’s basketball team will welcome four newcomers to its lineup for the 2010-11 season.  Over the course of the summer, usajaguars.com will sit down with the incoming players so that fans have an opportunity to get to know each of them off the court.  The first in the four-part series will be Taylor Ammons, a 6-1 post player from Paris Junior College in Paris Texas.

Ammons signed with USA during the spring signing period and was a two-year starter for the Lady Dragons.  This past season, she earned Texas Eastern Athletic Conference all-league honors after averaging 11.1 points per outing and pulling down 8.7 boards per game.   She ranked 13th in the TEAC in scoring and 22nd nationally in rebounding.  Prior to her time at Paris, Ammons prepped at Vicksburg High School in Vicksburg, Miss., where she led the club in rebounding and earned all-county honors both her senior and junior seasons.

Where do you call home?
“I am originally from Prince George County in Maryland.  I was born on an Air Force base, but we moved to Vicksburg, Miss., when I was four or five where my family still lives.”

Why did you choose South Alabama?
“I felt like South Alabama was the best fit for me, both as a player and academically.  Plus, it was closer to home.”

What are you majoring in at South Alabama?
“My major right now is exercise science, but I am hoping to get into the nursing program at USA.”

What do you plan on doing following your collegiate playing career?
“I want to get into the accelerated nursing program here at South Alabama.  I hope to be able to do all of my clinical work and be a registered nurse by the time I graduate.  Sometime after I get into the nursing field, I also want to go back to school and get my cosmetology license, because I enjoy doing hair as well as playing basketball.”

Do you come from a large family?
“Not really.  It’s about average size.  My mom had a lot of brothers and sisters, but my dad only had two.  I have two brothers – one older and one younger.”

What are your goals for the upcoming season – both individually and for the team?
“Individually, I just want to become a better all-around player.  One of my goals that I would like to accomplish before I graduate is to dunk at least one time in a game.”

“As far as goals for the team, I want us to advance farther that we did last year.  To accomplish that, we have to play as a team.  Team chemistry is something that it is really important to me.  I want us to win the Sun Belt championship and that’s something that everyone on this team wants.  I have never been part of a championship team during my playing career, but that is one thing I would like to do here at South Alabama.”

What do you see as some of the strengths of your game and how do you think they will help the team?
“I’m a hard worker and I never give up.  I am always going to finish anything I start, regardless of what it is.  I also think I play good defense.  I know players in the program pride themselves on taking charges and that’s something that I’ve done during my career.  I like to take charges.  I don’t know why.  I guess I am weird like that, but that’s something I like doing.  I think I encourage people to never hold their heads down.  Everyone is going to make mistakes.  It’s important to not make a mistake after you have just made one.  You have to always make up for the mistake you just made.”

Who is your favorite player to watch in the WNBA?
“This is another area where I might be considered “weird”, because I don’t really watch WNBA games.  I like watching college and NBA games more.”

Is there a player who you have watched in college that you enjoy seeing play or that you try to pattern your game after?
“I like the way Tina Charles (former UCONN forward) plays.  She is a very dominant post player and always works hard on the court.  She is always battling on the inside.”

Is there anyone else in your life that you feel has had a huge impact on your development as a person or a player?
“The two people that have really helped me with my game are my dad and my younger brother.  It may sound weird, but I really look up to my younger brother.  He is a very passionate basketball player.  Everything he does is about the game.  I just love his passion for the game and I really look up to him.”

“My dad has always told me that even if you aren’t the best offensive player, go after every rebound and your offensive game will come to you. If you set out at the start of the game to get everything that comes off the glass, then everything else will fall for you.”

Coming to South Alabama from Paris Junior College, do you feel that your time at the junior college level will benefit you in adjusting to the Division I level?
“My time in junior college helped me mature both as a player and as a student-athlete.  I don’t feel that I would have been ready to come straight out of high school and played at the DI level. The mental part would have been the hardest adjustment.  I probably would have taken some things said the wrong way.  Having played at the junior college level, I feel I have already made that adjustment.  I realize that everything is for your best interest, regardless of how it may come across at times with certain stuff."

Do you have any other talents other than playing basketball?
“One thing I did in high school was that I was a member of the marching band.  I played clarinet.  I was also on the color guard and twirled the flag for a year.”

What other sports do you enjoy playing?
“I also run track, even though I don’t necessarily like it.  I ran all the relays, the 100m, 200m and 400m.  I also did the high jump and long jump.  I did pretty much any event that the coach wanted me to do.  The only one that I would not do was the hurdles.  I am scared of hurdles.”

What other interest do you have outside of basketball?
“I’m really just a typical girl.  I enjoy shopping, talking on the phone, being on the computer, watching TV and just hanging out with my friends.” 

What other schools did you have offers from or recruited you?
“I had offers from Louisiana-Lafayette and North Texas.  Memphis and Tulsa also showed some interest in me during the recruiting process.”

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).