Trynce Taylor has only played 30 games for Kennesaw State women's basketball, but has made an immediate impact in the early stages of her career as she embarks on her second season: a redemption from last season.
The Alpharetta, Ga. native’s freshman season in 2023-24 was nothing short of stellar, where she became just the second Owl in program history to win three conference freshman of the week honors on top of being named to the Atlantic Sun All-Freshman team.
“Freshman year was amazing,” she said. “I made All-Freshman team, won a few freshman of the week awards, got a couple double-doubles and really just found my spark coming into this team.”
But prior to the 2024-25 campaign, she was dealt a setback to her impressive young career.
Just days before the Owls tipped off the season against Life University, the forward’s season was ended before it began - by a torn ACL.
“That was a very, very, very hard time for me because I want to say I was on a roll and was on the way up,” she said.
She shot 50% from the floor as a freshman, playing in all 30 games for Kennesaw State. She also accrued 226 points (7.5 per game) and 151 boards (5.0 per game).
A red-hot start derailed, she found solace in her teammates and coaches being there for – and her for them.
“I love watching them play and I honestly didn’t really feel too left out because of how much I wanted to get back,” she explained. “They were there for me before surgery and after and when I had to stay home I watched us play and was always cheering us on.”
Even though she was watching from afar, it was always in the back of her mind the impact she could’ve had last season.
“Coming into [head coach Octavia Blue’s] vision and her plan and what she wanted to do, I wanted to stick by it and fulfill everything that she wanted me to do,” she said. “I felt like I could do that for this team last season.”
When Taylor returns to the court this fall, she looks to add to a basketball career that began in second grade.
“I started playing basketball around second grade and that was the first time that I had picked up a ball and started playing with other people,” she explained.
Another key component that attracted her to the game of basketball was NBA 2K13.
“I’m a good player,” she said of her virtual game. “If I had to rate me out of a 99 overall, I feel like I’m a solid 85, maybe 87 working to that 90. You know, there’s a lot of people that play that game like 20 hours a day and that’s just not me.”
Another off-court interest for the redshirt sophomore: Lego.
“Me and [assistant coach Chris Straker], we’ve been building Legos,” she said. “We have a bamboo right now. We have a chrysanthemum; the office is going to be filled with all the Legos we’re going to do over the season. I’m working on getting my own collection up but I just don’t have enough shelves to put them on yet.”
Her passion for Legos is up there with her passion for basketball, and it was in middle school where the reality of collegiate, and potentially professional, basketball started to take shape.
“I played at St. Francis High School all four years and ended up winning a championship my senior year,” she said. “That’s when college coaches started looking and that’s where opportunities came.”
And that is where she met Coach Blue.
“I met her in one of our morning workouts,” she said. “She talked to me about her plan and wanting to build the program, to make it bigger and better. I believed in her vision and her plan, and I like like-minded people. I wanted to win.”
The desire to win comes with a confident when the lights are brightest, something she is used to. In 2023-24 the Owls trekked to Mississippi State and that is where Taylor made her presence known.
She led the team with 19 points and 12 rebounds, recording her first collegiate double-double.
“I’ve been there before, in the big crowds, big noises all of that,” she mentioned. “I felt like I could step up and help my team in any way that I could – defense, scoring, shooting, all of the above.”
And defense has been a centerpiece for her game from the beginning, something she prides herself on.
“I love defense, that is my favorite part of the game,” she said. “I love to make the opponent feel uncomfortable. I like to read their eyes. I like to get a deflection and get stops because defense creates offense. I love to get any stop, any way possible.”
That mindset and ability to shine when the lights are brightest are what she brings to Conference USA for the first time after missing the Owls’ first season in the league a year ago.
“I am stoked, I am ready,” she said of her first year in CUSA. “If you ask all the coaches, they would tell you I am anxious to get there on the court. I can’t wait to get out there and show this conference because they haven’t seen me before. They might’ve seen last year’s team but they missed one. They missed me. I can’t wait to get back out there and show them my game.”
That desire to showcase her abilities for a greater audience and against tougher competition has her inspired to return to form this season.
“My main focus and goals are to stay healthy and keep going from where I was,” she said. “I like to look back at my freshman year, the accolades I had and I want to build off that. I want to get my game back out there and show the world who I am and what I’m all about.”
Taylor will get to remind the world who she is when Kennesaw State tips off the 2025-26 campaign on Tuesday, Nov. 4 against Shorter inside VyStar Arena.
“There might be little jitterbugs, but I think it’s from me just being anxious,” she said. “When that ball’s tipped and that game is going, it’s going to be my all. It’s going to be my 100%, my 1000%. I’ve been waiting for this moment since the injury. It’s going to be an emotional moment maybe, but I’m going to be ready. I’m going to be ready.”
The Owls Fund
The Owls Fund is the primary fundraising arm of Kennesaw State Athletics with the goal of supporting our student-athletes, coaches and each of our 18 NCAA Division I programs. Through initiatives such as Legacy Lockers, the Dot Martin Scholarship Golf Classic, sport-specific giving opportunities, general donations and season tickets, The Owls Fund connects fans with KSU's programs and student-athletes. Members receive exclusive benefits such as hospitality seating areas and events at Kennesaw State home games, and more. Join The Owls Fund here and discover more opportunities on how you can support Kennesaw State Athletics.
