Following a furious rally by visiting Wilmington (Del.) Delcastle Tuesday night, Caravel Academy girls basketball coach Kristin Caldwell called a timeout to settle her team.

But one Caravel player was too excitable to be settled down.

Maryland point guard commitment Dara Taylor couldn’t help but speak her mind.

“We got down by like two points and I just remember Coach Caldwell talking in the huddle and I just spoke up and tried to hype everybody up,” Taylor said. “I probably wouldn’t have ever done that before, but it just came out of me. I’m trying to be a leader.”

The plan worked as Caravel cruised to a 46-36 win, led by Taylor’s 18 points.

While Taylor, a junior, had in the past let her talent do the talking, her timeout rallying cry was just the latest in a concerted effort to become more of a vocal leader.

“We graduated a point guard from our team that now plays at Richmond and [Dara and I] talked about it all summer that this year, as a junior, she’ll have a lot more leadership responsibilities on her shoulders,” Caldwell said. “She really embraced it. She’s always been a hard worker. Now she’s more vocal. The kids have really responded very well. She has everyone’s respect.”

Taylor’s newfound loquaciousness was a much-discussed plan between point guard and coach, but it proved to be a bit of surprise to the rest of the Caravel squad.

“I think a lot of people were shocked because I’m kind of laid back and quiet and shy,” Taylor said. “The first day of practice this year I just came out screaming and jumping up and down and being really energetic. A lot of people weren’t expecting it, but they were sparked by it and now they’re getting used to it.”

Taylor, who’s averaging 14 points and 6 assists per game this season for Caravel (2-1), is still getting adjusted to her role as a vocal leader, but said she realizes she has two years to perfect it before arriving in College Park.

She’s also started to realize just how surreal it is to be committed to a program and coach that she has watched on television for so many years.

“Actually before this summer I’d never talked to [Maryland coach Brenda Frese],” Taylor said. “I always just saw her on TV and idolized her because of the energy that she brings on the sideline. The very first time I talked to her I was really nervous, but we’ve built up a good relationship ... Every time I’m [in College Park], it’s just crazy to think that that’s going to be my coach.”

The Terps offered Taylor, 5-foot-6, a scholarship in August. After getting over the initial astonishment on the car ride from College Park back to Delaware (“I just sat in the back seat in shock”), Taylor was able to use the past four months to figure out the differences between Maryland and Penn State -- the runner-up for her services.

When Taylor came to a decision early last week, she phoned Frese of her decision. Needless to say, the Terps coach was excited to reel in her first commitment of the 2009 class.

“I think she screamed into the phone and was kind of yelling, but it was good to see she was excited because I was excited,” Taylor said.

As for Taylor’s game, Caldwell says her star point guard -- who averaged 13 points, 6 assists and 4 steals per game as a sophomore -- has all the tools you want in a floor general.

“First of all she is lightning quick and fast,” Caldwell said. “She is able to play the game at a really fast pace, but I think what has really impressed me is now she’s getting a feel for when to play fast and when to slow it down. She shoots great off the dribble and goes hard to the rim; great defensively on the ball and she’s pretty tough.”

Taylor now has two high school seasons before arriving in College Park. While she’s excited about her team’s prospects and loves her teammates and coach, the competitor in her can’t help but turn her eyes to her future at Maryland.

“I’m ready,” Taylor said. “I wish I could go tomorrow. But it’s definitely nice just to have it out of the way. It’s going to make the next year of high school a lot easier.”