Georgetown basketball player Taylor Prater in Austin, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025.
Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman
Faces off the field gives a deep look into the thoughts and lives of high school athletes in Central Texas. Today we feature Georgetown basketball player Taylor Prater, who’s looking forward to a trip to Europe someday.
All about Taylor: Playing music, staying mentally tough
Tell something about you that most people don’t know.
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I love to read. I have a huge personal library. Collectively, my family and I have more than 1,000 books.
If you could visit any country in the world, where would you go?
I would travel anywhere, but I especially love Europe. For my next trip I would love to go to Switzerland, Spain or Germany.
Georgetown basketball player Taylor Prater in Austin, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025.
Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman
What’s something you’re really good at outside of sports?
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I started learning piano in first grade and the viola in sixth grade, so I’d say I’ve become quite good at those instruments. I recently played my viola at a friend’s wedding.
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What’s your most prized possession?
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For my birthday years ago, my grandpa bought me a big, fluffy sheepdog puppet. When my grandpa passed away, it became a prized possession. You can tell Barney, the sheep dog, is special by his well-loved, matted fur.
A tradition of excellence for Georgetown basketball
What’s your favorite memory of Georgetown basketball?
Last year, before every home game, my friends and I would hop into a car, blast music, sing our hearts out to “Unwritten” (by Natasha Beddingfield) and zoom to QT for a snack run. I gotta have my root beer, Bugles and Crunch bar before the game.Â
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Has basketball taught you any lessons that you apply to daily life?
Basketball has taught me to push my body to the absolute limit and be mentally tough. It has also taught me how to work with a variety of people, learning different styles of communicating and motivating.
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The Georgetown girls are always good at basketball. Why is that?
Coach (Rhonda) Farney has created a culture of excellence. The upperclassmen and varsity set the tone for the rest of the program and each year pushes the next to be their best. Our slogan for the year — Champions Create Champions — captures this “excellence breeds excellence” mentality. The expectation for every person in the program is that we condition and practice incredibly hard every day. We also have a challenging preseason schedule that exposes the areas of our game that need improvement and also helps us gel as a team.
Georgetown basketball player Taylor Prater in Austin, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025.
Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman
Do you have any game-day rituals?Â
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Everything coach Farney does is built on tradition, from banging on the lockers to our pregame prayer. My favorite pregame ritual is writing on ourselves with Sharpies. We write reminders and encouragements for ourselves and our teammates. My reminder for each game is “Do your job.” This reminds me that whether my job is to be a cheerleader on the bench or get out there and lock someone down on defense, I shouldn’t get caught up in trying to be everything for everyone. My team needs me to play how I play and do my job.
Dream dinner: No phones allowed for paella
If you could have dinner with any four people in the history of the world, who would they be?
I would choose Abraham Lincoln, Jesus, (Christian missionary) Lillian Trasher and (comedian/actor) Nate Bargatze.
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Why did you pick Lillian Trasher?
Lillian Trasher founded the first orphanage in Egypt. Her story is amazing, and I would want to have dinner with her to hear even more of her story and get to know the side of her personality that isn’t quite captured in books.Â
You’re in charge of the menu. What are you serving?
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I would serve a traditional Spanish dish of shrimp paella with roasted vegetables and garlic bread. Other than being one of my favorite meals, the paella is cooked in a giant circular pan, so it would be a great dish to get everyone around the table to create an engaging family environment. No phones allowed.