acastro@mavs.coloradomesa.edu

Utah, Colorado, Alaska. Not the typical transition for a basketball player, but when someone loves the game, there aren’t very many places they won’t travel to. New women’s basketball coach Taylor Wagner made that 2,000+ mile transition, in his succession of former coach Roger Walters, who resigned last year.

Growing up in Utah, Wagner graduated from high school and attended Otero Junior College in La Junta, Colo. After finishing up an associate’s degree there, he made the transition to the University of Alaska–Anchorage to play basketball as a member of the Seawolves.

“I had never been there before,” Wagner said. “I wanted an adventure, and I got that up there.”

Although the transition may seem like a shock to most people, the transition for Wagner wasn’t as difficult as it could have been.

“I had great coaches and my teammates were awesome,” Wagner said.  “The competition was a little bit harder. We played a lot of D1 schools and there was the Great Alaska Shootout. Every Thanksgiving we’d play all the teams you’d see on ESPN, but it was fun.”

Wagner went on to finish his Bachelor’s degree in Alaska and then remained at the college to coach for two years after he was done playing.

“When I was done I wanted to stay on and learn a little bit more,” Wagner said. “I finished my degree and that was the most important thing, plus I’ve always wanted to be a coach and I felt like [coaching in Alaska] was a way to get my foot in the door.”

After coaching two years in Alaska, Wagner made the transition once again to move back to his alma mater of Otero Junior College and coach there. While in his eight seasons at Otero, Wagner had a record of 187-63 and an 88-12 home record. Last season the women’s team went 33-3 and were the Region IX Champions.

Wagner is looking forward to coaching at CMU and is ready for the transition from a two-year school to a four-year University.

“At a Junior College you get them right where you want them, and by the time you do that they’re leaving and they’re moving on to a four-year school,” Wagner said. “I’m excited to be at a four-year and see how far we can develop these kids.”

Wagner also pushes academics to his team. Last year at Otero, his team was the Academic Team of the Year in Junior College with a cumulative average of a 3.57 GPA.

“I want us to be really competitive,” Wagner said. “I want us to be a team that’s scrappy and fun to watch, and hopefully those two things translate into success. In the end, in those last couple of weeks, I want us to be playing for a championship.”