Extra hours in the gym and on the road earn Mikayla Taborn the Extra Effort Award
When Mikayla Taborn's name is announced in the Franklinton starting five she lets out a big smile. It's game time and for her that's the easy part. On any given morning she might do additional training and lifting on top of Franklinton basketball practice. The work pays off when the whistle blows and the games begin.
"She's a well rounded athlete," girls basketball coach Bryan Perry said. "She loves defense, she really has an offensive game."
That offensive game flashes as Taborn swishes a hook shot to begin a matchup versus Roanoke Rapids. The junior forward has a distinct height advantage but also the skill set to match.
"She's the type of person any coach wants to have," Franklinton girls volleyball coach Tom Harris said. "She's dedicated, she's loyal she works hard."
Taborn is one of the top players in the state in not just basketball, but volleyball too. She is a two-time all-conference volleyball selection for the big east 2A/3A conference and led North Carolina in blocks this season.
"Volleyball is like my second love," Taborn said. "Coach Tom has really helped me become a good volleyball player."
Harris hopes she can play both volleyball and basketball in college. The basketball part looks promising, Taborn has offers from Appalachian State, Elon, UNC Greensboro, UNC Wilmington, UNC Asheville, and Campbell. She's still far from feeling ready to make a college decision and more college coaches will get a chance to see her thanks to her dedicated commitment to AAU.
"Practice, training, it's a lot," Taborn said. "You have to be very motivated to be where I'm at."
She wouldn't be in this position without parents who do whatever it takes to support her dream.
"I remember her when she was that big," Mikayala's mom Nicole Taborn said as she held her hand up to her waist. "5th grade starting out basketball, soccer all the different sports. It's been a fun journey."
"Watching her play basketball and grow all these years it's been fun," Mikayla's dad Ronnie Taborn said. "We enjoy every game. We never miss a game it's been amazing."
Not only do they not miss a game, Ronnie films them and sends out edits to colleges. He also gets to spend a lot of time bonding with Mikayala in the car for AAU tournaments.
"We love it," Ronnie said. "Last year we went to Iowa, never been to Iowa."
"Sometimes we'll just start joking about random stuff," Mikayla said.
Mikayla is also a part of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Franklinton, volunteers at her church, has a 3.0 GPA and is on the track team. Her dedication on the court and in the classroom has earned her the Tom Suiter Extra Effort Award.
"I appreciate it a lot, it means a lot," Mikayla said. "I'm not always going to be playing basketball, so it's really important to me to keep my grades up."
