Before this season, Caravel (Del.) Academy girls basketball coach Kristin Caldwell had multiple discussions with junior point guard Dara Taylor about her role on the team.

Caldwell wanted Taylor, who committed to Maryland in December, to take on more of a leadership role. Up until her junior year, Taylor had let her play do the talking, often deferring to her older teammates. That wasn’t the case this year.

“I think she used to be the type of kid as a freshman and a sophomore who’d get really frustrated with her own mistakes to the point where she couldn’t help other players because she was frustrated with herself,” Caldwell said. “But this year, she was perfect as a leader. Even if she made a mistake, she was mature enough to know the team needed her to be more vocal, talk to kids and explain things. Sometimes it’s better for her to explain things to the kids [on the court] rather than me taking the timeout. The kids really respond to her and they really respect her.”

Taylor, 5 feet 6, averaged 16 points, 6.5 assists and 5 steals this season for Caravel, which finished 10-11 playing an exceedingly challenging schedule that included out-of-state matchups with powerhouse programs such as Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro), Germantown Academy (Fort Washington, Pa.) and St. Michael Academy (New York City).

Taylor’s junior year came to an end last Thursday with a 54-52 loss to Middletown in the second round of the Delaware High School Girls Basketball Tournament. Taylor led Caravel with 22 points, eight assists and five steals in the loss.

Despite the disappointing end to Caravel's season, Caldwell was extremely pleased with Taylor’s play. During those preseason sit-downs with Taylor, Caldwell asked her point guard to be more than just a vocal leader. She also asked Taylor to develop into a scoring point guard – something the pass-first Taylor wasn’t accustomed to.

“I think in AAU, her team (the Philadelphia Belles) is loaded,” Caldwell said. “So she was kind of used to being a ball distributor. They had good kids inside, great kids who can shoot it. And even in my program there were always a few other kids -- she could make plays for them. But [this year] we needed her to score … she became our No. 1 scoring option. Probably our last eight games she scored 20 or more points and really did a great job with that role. Her decision making improved a ton. It proved to her that she is a scoring point guard and that’s what she needed to be.”

For the offseason, Taylor will suit up again for the Philadelphia Belles. Last summer she worked on her offensive game and developing into more of a leader. This year, Caldwell’s got a couple more tasks on the player-development agenda.

“I would really like to see her … work really hard in the weight room,” Caldwell said. “I think, anticipating for her after next year when she gets to Maryland, I’d like to see her get stronger. I’d like to see her keep focusing on improving her three-point shot. I think she hit way more threes this year than the last two. Her pull-up game is really good. But if she improves [her outside shooting] she’ll be even more dangerous on offense.”

Taylor and Caldwell have closely followed Maryland’s season, and the future Terp has made a few visits to College Park for games. But Taylor still has her senior year at Caravel ahead of her, which brings a smile to Caldwell’s face.

“That’s the best thing,” Caldwell said. “I have her for a whole ‘nother year.”