Practice makes perfect for No. 1 Schepp

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This article was published 19/03/2025 (207 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It doesn’t take long to understand why Taylor Schepp’s career trajectory has only pointed up.

The Dakota Lancers’ point guard is all business when it comes to basketball, and it shines when she’s on the floor.

“She’s as true as it gets as a point guard. Plays with a high motor, great shooter, great passer, and probably one of the best kids I’ve ever coached with her IQ for the game,” said Lancers head coach Eric Sung, who has headed the women’s varsity program for the last decade.

Schepp, the daughter of University of Manitoba Bisons men’s basketball head coach Kirby Schepp, was named the top women’s hoopster in the Free Press’ annual coaches poll of the top 10 high school players in the province due to her dynamic ability on the floor, but it’s the Grade 12’s dedication off the court that is rare for someone her age and has drawn rave reviews.

“Her separator is her work ethic and her love of the game. She’s always loved the work. She’s always loved putting in time,” said Kirby, who has intentionally remained in a supporting role throughout his daughter’s career. “In my over 30 years being involved in coaching, I’m not sure I’ve had an athlete that’s worked harder at the game than her.”

Schepp naturally gravitated to basketball after being in a gym from a young age (Kirby used to wear a BabyBjörn while coaching the provincial team). She immersed herself in the game as a pre-teen, watching film with her dad, breaking down strategies and running drills in her backyard.

Her commitment reached a new high during the pandemic when she used the extra time at home to hone her skills. There’s one month Kirby remembers vividly.

“It was a February, and she had a goal of 100 workouts in a month, and a workout had to be at least 20 to 30 minutes of concentrated… effort in a certain area, working on a skill,” he said.

“Her separator is her work ethic and her love of the game. She’s always loved the work. She’s always loved putting in time.”–Kirby Schepp

“That works out to a little over… three a day, and I think she got 110 or something. She averaged almost four a day. That’s just an example of: she picks a goal, and it’s often a process-oriented goal, and goes for it. And the payoff of doing that over many, many years is she got better.”

Schepp is the focal point of a Lancers team that is seeking an unprecedented fourth-straight AAAA provincial title. Dakota was two wins away from that feat as it prepared to face the Garden City Gophers in Wednesday’s semi-final.

While Schepp’s ability on the offensive end has earned her the most attention — she rose to prominence after scoring 54 points and being named MVP in a 74-67 win over Maples in the provincial AAAA junior varsity championship final in 2023 — she’s more thrilled about her improvement on the defensive end.

“For me, that used to be more just contain the ball and try not to get beat, kind of situation for me. But I think now I’m somebody who I’ve worked really hard on getting stronger and my IQ and being able to anticipate on defence, and now I think I’m somebody who can really bother the ball and be a little bit more annoying on defence,” she said.

Schepp can still take over a game with her scoring, though she prefers to facilitate. She has the ball in her hands on most possessions and dictates the pace of the Lancers offence.

“I think she’s a scorer at multiple levels now,” said Sung. “She was mainly a pass-first point guard for us last year, and then flipped to this year now, she’s had some large offensive games for us where she’s making big plays, but then she’s also making the right play.

“If they send multiple bodies at her to stop her, she’s going to make the right pass, she’s going to make the right play and give somebody else the opportunity to reap the benefits of her drawing attention to herself.”

Schepp was heavily recruited by several Canadian universities but chose a familiar spot with the Bisons, where she will play for Sung’s wife, Michele, this fall.

Her sights are set on something bigger, though, and that continues to drive her chase to becoming an all-around player.

“It’s extremely important to me. I think for me, being a good high school player is not my end goal. I know to be a really great university player, and a goal of mine is to later play professionally, so I think to be able to get to those goals, I’m going to have to be a really good defender and improve offensively and continue to get better every year,” she said.

The Lancers have featured some talent-laden rosters with players that have gone on to play U Sports during its recent stretch of championships, including Kyu and Izzi Fust, Darya Rom and Abby Sweeny, but this is the first time Schepp will be the one leading the charge.

Ask anyone, including Schepp, and they’ll say these are the games she’s prepared herself for.

“I know I’m ready for these moments. And it’s not all about me,” Schepp said.

“I’m going to have the ball in my hands, but I want to make sure that our team is at the best that it can be. And so whether that be defending the best player, or scoring or setting up other girls for easy baskets and putting us in positions where we’re going to be successful, is something that I look to do in these big games.”

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca